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Leighton McIntosh came off the bench to snatch an injury-time equaliser and extend our unbeaten run in cinch League One to 22 matches in what was at times a grim encounter with the Spiders at Firhill Stadium.

The fact the pitch at Partick Thistle’s ground is by far the worst in Scotland – and probably the poorest in senior football anywhere – meant it was never going to be a game for the purists.

There was no hope of us even attempting to play the sort of passing football that has helped us get to where we are at the moment on a park that is so badly rutted you can never be sure where the ball might end up if it touched the surface.

It was a case of having to adapt by playing more long balls than we would like to, battling away and seeing where that took us to.

It looked as if we were going end up losing thanks to the game’s only piece of real quality, a stunning long range strike from Queen’s striker Robert McHugh that was worthy of winning any match.

It didn’t because, for the second week in a row, we simply refused to give in and went for it big style in the latter stages.

We hit the bar, saw another effort kept out by a top class save and had a penalty claim denied in a frantic finale before we finally got our reward when McIntosh scored right at the death.

And all of that after having to cope with losing skipper Mitch Megginson to injury early in the first half.

We showed two changes to the side that drew with Airdrieonians last time out, with Rory McAllister and Ola Adeyemo – who was making his first start – replacing the injured Harry Milne and Iain Vigurs.

To be fair on both teams, they did their best to entertain the 723 crowd and created a few decent chances in the first half.

Fraser Fyvie went close to opening the scoring in the fifth minute with a long range drive that home keeper Calum Ferrie made as real meal of saving, although he eventually managed to gather the ball at the second attempt.

The Spiders responded inside a minute, when Connor Smith’s 20-yard shot just cleared our crossbar.

Louis Longridge then hit a shot from the edge of the area that took an awkward bounce up off the pitch just in front of Stuart McKenzie and forced keeper to punch the ball wide for a corner.

Megginson pulled up injured in the 13th minute and was eventually replaced by Robbie Leitch.

We were desperately unlucky not to score in the 17th minute.

Fyvie’s free-kick from the left was nodded down by Morgyn Neill to Adeyemo and his 10-yard shot beat Ferrie but was booted off the line by McHugh.

Queen’s also went close when Lucas Connell lofted a free-kick into the area and Lee Kilday’s looping header went just over the crossbar.

Shay Logan sent a long throw over from the right to Neill, but his head flick from the edge of the six yard box lacked power and was gathered by Ferrie.

Connell fired wide from 20-yards and McHugh saw a shot on the turn held by McKenzie before the half ended with Leitch sending a 20-yard shot well wide of Ferrie’s left post.

Queen’s had the first chance of the second period, when McKenzie parried a 10-yard shot from Longridge and Smith steered his effort from the rebound wide.

McHUGH opened the scoring in the 53rd minute with a screamer of a shot from 35-yards that flew into the top corner.

It was an outstanding effort, but all credit to our lads they showed real character to fight back and rescue what could end up being a crucial point.

We were desperately unlucky not to equalise in the 63rd minute, when Neill’s header – from a Scully cross – hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced out, before the ball was booted clear.

We made a double change just after that, with Jamie Masson and McIntosh replacing Scully and Adeyemo.

We had a penalty claim turned down by referee Grainger in the 77th minute, when Neill’s header from a Logan free-kick appeared to be handled by Lee Kilday before he cleared the ball.

Logan’s net-bound shot was blocked and Leitch fired wide from 18-yards as we piled players forward in the latter stages.

Queen’s keeper Ferrie denied us the equaliser in the 88th minute when he somehow managed to beat way Masson’s eight yard shot, which looked to be sneaking in at his right post.

But he had no chance when we snatched a share of the points in the third minute of injury-time.

Logan’s long throw, from the left, was nodded on by McAllister and McINTOSH pounced to nod the ball home and send the noisy band of Cove Rangers fans housed in the Jackie Husband Stand into raptures.

QUEEN’S PARK: Ferrie, Robson, Kilday, Longridge, Lyon (Davidson 75), McHugh, Fox, Doyle, Smith (Murray 80), McBride (Longstaff 67), Connell.

Subs: Morrison, Quitongo, Gillies, Herghty, Biggar, Darcy.

COVE RANGERS: McKenzie, Neill, Scully (Masson 64), Ross, Yule, Megginson (Leitch 15)  McAllister, Adeyemo (McIntosh 64), Fyvie, Logan, Reynolds.

Subs: Strachan, Gourlay, Fotheringham.

Referee: Graham Grainger.

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