Falkirk gained revenge over Queens with a 1-0 victory on Saturday - thanks to a controversial penalty decision.

The two sides met a fortnight ago and McIntyre`s men grabbed all three points thanks to a brace from Gavin Reilly but unfortunately the Doonhamers efforts came undone at the end of the match.

With Queens sitting fourth in the league - and on level points with Dumbarton - the away side were looking for a repeat of the game 14 days ago. 

However, a drab 90 minutes meant that a controversial penalty in injury time was the only thing that could split the two teams.

Zander Clark made a return to the starting 11 following his injury which the `keeper picked up against Morton last month. Clark`s first involvement in the game was to watch the ball fly by his right hand post as Conor McGrandles unleashed a shot from the edge of the box which only missed by inches.

Clark then had David McCracken to thank for missing a great opportunity from inside the six yard box as the ball fell to him from a Mark Millar corner but he could only send it in the direction of the Pammy keeper.

Bob McHugh had Queens first shot of the game just before the half hour mark as the game was being played at a slow tempo in a windy and cold Falkirk. Half-chances also fell to Beck and Millar as the Bairns tried to go in at the break a goal to the good.

The first half failed to produce any creative football and Queens suffered a huge blow as Michael Paton pulled up five minutes before half time, forcing Jim McIntyre to make a change. Iain Russell was the man who stepped in for Paton.

Paton was lively until his enforced substitution

Both teams came out in the second half with a different mindset and were looking to take the game to the opposition, in comparison to the lacklustre first half. Early on chances were created by the Championship sides and the game looked to be much more open.

Paul Burns hit a 30-yard volley from outside of the box which forced Michael McGovern in to his first save of the day, on the 50 minutes, and Mark Millar continued to create problems for the Doonhamers back four.

Paul Burns chases down his opponent

The match sparked in to life just after the hour mark as Phil Roberts came on for the home side, immediately making an impact for the Bairns. He carried the ball thirty yards forcing Zander Clark to make a save for the first time in the second period.

Gavin Reilly also came on with 25 minutes to go - in a similar fashion to the Falkirk game at Palmerston two weeks ago - and when the ball fell to him just outside the six yard box he was unlucky not to find the top corner.

Queens were starting to control the game and the 250 fans who made the trip up to Falkirk were making themselves heard as the away side pushed for a winner. Michael McGovern was determined to scupper these plans, however, and the Bairns stopper pulled off a great save to deny Iain Russell the game`s opening goal.

Russell forces a great save

In the closing ten minutes, Burns and Russell looked to carve up the Falkirk defenders with some terrific runs, but unfortunately for the Palmerston side there was no end product.

The controversial moment came right before the 90 minute mark as Falkirk were awarded a penalty by Referee Brian Colvin. The ball was deemed to hit the hand of Chris Mitchell just inside the penalty box and the whistler pointed to the spot. Mark Millar made no mistake by drilling the ball in to the back of the net, leaving the Queens players and fans dejected.

The penalty is converted

McIntyre`s men now slip to fifth in the table and drop out of the play-off spots. Queens will look to bounce back next week at home to Dumbarton, the team that now sit fourth in the Championship.