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QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 2-1 COVE RANGERS

Despite a hugely improved showing, and taking the lead midway through the second half, the team fell to an undeserved defeat at Palmerston when Queens netted twice in as many minutes to snatch the points.

The manager had made three changes from last week. Fraser Fyvie was ruled out because of illness, and Finlay Murray and Myles Gaffney dropped to the bench. Free from his SPFL ban, Grady McGrath returned to lead the line and there were starts for Adam Emslie and Findlay Marshall, who impressed as second half substitutes against Annan. Mitch Megginson was suspended.

With the pitch bathed in sunshine, it was Declan Glass who got the game underway for Cove, but after a quiet opening, the home side were first to threaten. Kieran McKechnie chased down a long clearance, and despite being put under pressure by Ryan Harrington, managed to get away an angled shot which bounced wide of the far post.

Glass and Connor Scully combined in our first attack down the left, and when the ball was played back to Findlay Marshall, the midfielder chipped a cross into the area. Sadly, there were no takers.

Adam Emslie then raced down the right flank and fired in a dangerous low delivery, Stewart quickly off his line to smother the ball at McGrath’s feet. Glass was brought down by Johnstone thirty yards out and took a quick free-kick, rolling in Harrington, but the full-back’s effort was deflected wide.

From the resultant corner, Glass drove a cross deep into the area which Mikey Doyle only just failed to meet, the skipper crashing into the post after missing the ball. Thankfully, he was soon back on his feet again, with the sporting home fans applauding a former favourite.

We were enjoying the bulk of the possession, Scully and Glass heavily involved, and playing plenty attractive football, but all too often the final pass either went astray, or got cut out.

There was more good play in the twenty-sixth minute, Marshall driving a long pass to Harrington on the overlap, and after Glass had taken over, he delivered to the back post, but Emslie was unable to get a touch.

In our next attack, Blair Yule made space and fed in Emslie, who took a touch and crossed. Queens scrambled it clear with Scully and McGrath both appealing loudly for handball. Referee Gamble was unmoved and waved play on.

It was all Cove now. Glass curled a long-range free-kick just wide, then Emslie sent in yet another delivery. This time, McGrath did get a touch, diverting the ball past the keeper, but it lacked pace, and Douglas was able to clear off the line. Seconds later, Glass flashed in an inviting cross but neither Scully nor Doyle could convert.

Yule was next to have a go, his low twenty-yard shot saved comfortably enough by Stewart.

Gillingham then won the ball in determined fashion, setting-up Scully, but his cross was cleared, before Glass overhit the following delivery. Harrington forced a corner deep into stoppage time, and there looked to be a clear handball to prevent Doyle’s goalbound effort, but again, the referee rejected our claims.

It was a less one-sided contest after the resumption, the home side enjoying more possession, but chances remained at a premium until the fifty-sixth minute when Emslie and Marshall combined to put pressure on the home rearguard. Findlay’s chipped pass forward looked to be heading to Grady McGrath, but the retreating Brydon managed to get an important touch, and the danger was averted.

Glass then fed through an accurate pass for McGrath to run on to, Stewart racing out to beat away the striker’s angled drive, before Emslie saw his follow-up shot saved by the keeper. Declan Glass and Connor Scully then linked-up to create an opportunity for Blair Yule, but his shot was charged down.

The breakthrough finally came just past the hour mark. Again it was Glass and Scully who tormented the Queens defence, and when Declan smashed in a low cross from the left, Adam EMSLIE got ahead of his marker to smash the ball into the net.

Paul Hartley immediately made a change, Myles Gaffney on for McGrath, before Queens spurned their best opportunity of the game. McKechnie and Kennedy each had opportunities during a scramble in the penalty area, but between them, Doyle and Darge managed to clear.

The equaliser did however come soon after, and it was from a similar passage of play. Suman was able to save the first effort with his foot, but the ball fell kindly for Kieran McKECHNIE, and he finished from close range.

Queens took heart from that, and within two minutes we unbelievably found ourselves behind in a game we had largely dominated.  This time a cross from the right caused uncertainty between Doyle and Suman, and Mikey HEWITT nipped in to force the ball home.

We had a gilt-edged opportunity to level in the seventy-seventh minute when Glass flashed in a cross from the left and Emslie stole in behind, but he could not get enough power on his close-range flick, and Stewart was able to save.

Gaffney then forced a corner after good link-up between Glass and Emslie, which came to nothing, before the team came agonisingly close to snatching a point in spectacular fashion. Collecting the ball twenty-three yards from goal, Declan Glass, who had impressed throughout, took a step to the left before curling in an outstanding effort which flew past Stewart, but crashed back out off the face of the crossbar.

It was to be the last action, and despite having dominated for much of the ninety minutes, the side fell to a second successive defeat. The performance should however raise hopes that a first win of the campaign is not far off.

QUEEN OF THE SOUTH (3-4-1-2): Stewart; Brydon, Douglas (c), Hewitt; Ross (Cochrane 46), Johnstone, Luissint, MacIntyre; Kennedy (Hannah 89); Doherty (Walker 67), McKechnie

Substitutes: Hogarth, Rogerson, McLinden

Goalscorers: McKechnie (69), Hewitt (71)

Booked: Johnstone (30)

COVE RANGERS (4-2-3-1): Suman; Darge, Doyle (c), Gillingham, Harrington; Marshall, Yule; Emslie, Glass, Scully; McGrath (Gaffney 63)

Substitutes: Demus, Murray, Ochmanski, Donaldson, Milnes

Goalscorers: Emslie (62)

Booked: Darge (45)

Referee: Andy Gamble

Attendance:

All photographs (c) Queen of the South FC

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