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QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 1–0 COVE RANGERS

It was a sore start to 2025 for the team, losing out to a first half goal and then failing to capitalise on what was a much improved second half display. Poor marking led to the Queens goal, and we failed to take any of the opportunities which fell our way thereafter.

Unsurprisingly, Paul Hartley named an unchanged line-up from last week’s impressive showing in Inverness and there was good news with the return of Blair Yule from injury for the first time since the end of November, the midfielder taking his place on the bench.

Long-term absentee, Liam Parker, and Will Gillingham were still missing, and with Reuben McAllister having returned to his parent club, Hibernian, the manager had just five substitutes to call on.

Cove kicked-off on a bitterly cold afternoon, the stadium shrouded in a freezing mist, but it was the home side who were to enjoy the bulk of the early possession without creating any clear cut openings.

The first opportunity came with ten minutes on the clock when Queens broke down the left, Arron Darge having to be alert to prevent Brooks from getting on the end of a dangerous cross from MacIntyre. The subsequent corner was cleared.

We put together a fine move soon after, Mitch Megginson and Findlay Marshall combining to tee-up Glass, but Declan’s twenty yard strike flew over the bar.

Queens then forced successive corners, the second of which, a vicious inswinger, looked to cannon off Dylan Lobban and on to the underside of the bar before Nick Suman claimed the ball.

We were not so fortunate in their next attack. Doherty swung in a dangerous free-kick from thirty yards out, finding two-team mates unmarked. Matty Douglas headed the ball down for Michael HEWITT to slide it home from close range.

It was not until the half hour mark that the home keeper was called into serious action. Ryan Harrington cut in from the left, laying a pass off for Mitch Megginson, who was closed down in the box. Glass took over, chipping to the far post, and when Emslie cut back, Stewart had to move quickly to nudge the ball away from Megginson.

Harrington then forced a corner as we kept up the pressure, Mitch eventually curling a shot wide of the far post.

Queens came close in the thirty-eighth minute when Doherty’s shot deflected into the path of Dickenson, the striker’s well-struck twenty yard volley flying just wide of Suman’s left upright.

Just before the interval, Harrington and Scully linked-up well down the left, Ryan fouled by Cochrane, and when the resultant free-kick was half-cleared, Declan Glass pounced on the ball, teeing himself up for a long-range strike which cleared the bar by a couple of feet.

After a disappointing first half, the team looked for a fast start upon the resumption and Adam Emslie might have provided it, but after making space wide on the left, his cross was slightly overhit, and Marshall could not get a touch at the back post.

Dylan Lobban broke on the right as we probed again, playing in an inviting delivery which Megginson was inches from connecting with. Our next attack owed much to Fraser Fyvie’s skill and vision, the captain dribbling clear and finding Connor Scully in the box, but the midfielder’s attempted ball was cut out, and the resultant corner cleared.

Megginson then clipped a pass into the area, but Marshall’s low driven cross was grabbed by Stewart.

We had a let-off in the fifty-seventh minute when referee Nicolson initially awarded a penalty, adjudging Mikey Doyle to have blocked a shot with his hand. As the defender protested vociferously, the official consulted with his assistant before changing his call.

In the wake of that, Blair Yule made his long-awaited return, replacing Marshall for the final half hour.

Fyvie whipped in a delivery as we continued to press, and Mitch Megginson managed to flick goalwards, but the ball flew straight into Stewart’s hands.

The half had been largely dominated by Cove, but we were all too often wasteful with the final pass or cross, and a succession of decent moves came to nothing.

With thirteen minutes remaining, the manager shook things up, throwing on Myles Gaffney and Grady McGrath for Scully and Emslie, and we again threatened when Fyvie and Glass set up Harrington, but Ryan’s low delivery was once more grabbed by the home keeper.

The full-back went for a more direct route next, cutting in and letting fly from fully twenty-five yards, his effort beaten away by Stewart at full-stretch, and the keeper was again called into action seconds later, Megginson’s shot on the turn saved at the near post.

Deep into stoppage time, Harrington forced a corner, and the full-back got his head to Glass’s delivery, but was unable to direct it on goal.

That was to be our last opportunity, the referee’s final whistle signalling the end of a frustrating afternoon in Dumfries.

QUEEN OF THE SOUTH (3-5-2): Stewart; Hewitt, Douglas (c), Hannah; Doherty, Cochrane (Bryden 72), Lyon, Luissint, MacIntyre; Dickenson, Brooks

Substitutes: Thomson, McKechnie, McIntosh, Johnstone, O’Donnell, Walker, Brydon

Goalscorers: Hewitt (23)

Booked:

COVE RANGERS (4-4-2): Suman; Lobban, Darge, Doyle, Harrington; Fyvie (c), Marshall (Yule 61), Glass, Scully (McGrath 77); Emslie (Gaffney 77), Megginson

Substitutes: Demus, Murray

Goalscorers:

Booked: Gaffney (89)

Referee: Duncan Nicolson

Attendance: 915

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