A match-winning performance from Gavin Reilly saw Queen of the South run out 3-1 winners over Stenhousemuir at Ochilview Park.
The striker opened the scoring in the first half before setting up Nicky Clark for the second and finishing the match off with a predatory finish after 68 minutes. Former Queens man Stewart Kean bagged a late consolation goal for the home side.
The match began in scrappy fashion with Stenhousemuir having the better of the early possession but with only two poor long-range efforts to show for it.
Queens? first real opportunity came in the 23rd minute as Nicky Clark was upended inside the opposing half. Chris Mitchell stepped up to whip in a dangerous free-kick towards the far post onto the head of Ryan McGuffie whose glancing header dropped inches wide of the right-hand post.
Orsi hits the byeline early on
The away side were starting to put their passing together and broke the deadlock after 31 minutes. Winger Dan Carmichael showed his skill by turning his man before being brought down on the edge of the Stenhousemuir box. Chris Mitchell struck the free-kick goalwards only to see it blocked by a teammate on the edge of the area before the ball dropped to the alert Gavin Reilly ten yards out. The young striker made no mistake in dispatching the ball into the far corner to delight the travelling support.
Gavin reacts first and fires home
and is congratulated by his team mates
Nicky Clark then almost doubled the lead as he combined with Chris Mitchell to fire a fierce shot inches over the Stenhousemuir crossbar.
Clarks effort flies over the bar
The second half began brightly and immediately after the restart Stenhousemuir almost equalised as Anderson?s goal-bound header was cleared from under the crossbar by Nicky Clark. Queens defended the resulting corner and broke on the counter-attack where Ryan McGuffie fed Dan Carmichael on the left wing and his cross found Chris Mitchell in the middle but the midfielder?s header did not test Callum Reidford in the Stenhousemuir goal.
A nervous moment for Queens as Kean headsa back across goal
Stenhousemuir were putting Queens under pressure following the restart but the away side swiftly doubled their lead through top scorer Nicky Clark after 55 minutes.
The ball was fed to Gavin Reilly inside the Stenhousemuir half and he turned his marker well before laying the ball through for Clark to run onto. The striker notched his 21st goal of the season as he finished neatly with his left foot.
After the goal Queens? passing game came alive. They were pulling the home side apart and could have extended their lead through long shots from Durnan and Holt before Gavin Reilly scored his second of the afternoon.
Stenhousemuir were pressing high in the Queens half when Ryan McGuffie cleared the ball over the top of the Stenhousemuir defence. Reilly was alive to it and sprinted beyond the trailing defenders to roll the ball past the stranded Reidford.
The goal capped an excellent performance from the young striker and brought his personal tally to 12 goals in all competitions this season.
The league-leaders made a couple of substitutions as they looked to run down the game and kept the ball well for large periods of the remaining twenty minutes.
The clean sheet was not to be, however, as Stewart Kean pounced on a loose ball inside the area after the Queens defence were unable to clear a Stenhousemuir corner in the dying seconds.
Following Alloa?s draw at Ayr, the Doonhamers now sit 11 points clear at the top of the Second Division table and go into Wednesday?s match at Ayr full of confidence after two good wins in the space of three days.