With the injury list growing by the day, Manager Marvin Bartley had to make three enforced changes for the visit of joint leaders Hamilton Accies. Gavin Reilly picked up a knee injury in training and joined Craig McGuffie and Reegan Mimnaugh on the side-lines from last weeks trip to Falkirk. Their unavailability saw starts for Kieran McKechnie, Jake Hutchinson, and Josh Todd.
Relegated Accies have made a terrific start to the season as they bid to get back up to the Championship and got off to a positive start when Euan Henderson pounced on a mistake but fortunately it came to nothing. They did have a second chance within the opening five minutes when Reghan Tumilty raced down the right and forced a save from Harry Stone.
The defender got on it again just two minutes later as he attacked the ball from a corner, but he headed over.
It was very much Accies from the off, but McKechnie made a break only to be upended on the left, but referee Steve Kirkland deemed it an honest challenge and no free kick was given. It was only a brief rest bite for Queens as Accies pushed forward again, the lively Henderson almost opened the scoring but was denied when his header came off the crossbar.
Todd did try one from distance, but it never troubled Ryan Fulton and with fifteen minutes played Accies had the lead that their play probably deserved. A well worked move down the left, finished with Henderson firing a right foot shot away from Stone into the net.
Efe Ambrose wasnt having the best of afternoons and his slackness at the back lead to a few scary moments but thankfully he got away with them as Hamilton couldnt take advantage.
Ironically the goal seemed to lift Queens and as they looked to get back into the game, the ball fell to Lee Connelly inside the six-yard box but as he tried to chip the keeper the ball came back off the woodwork.
They did get back level when new captain, Harry Cochrane showed great strength to win the ball before hitting a right foot shot into the top corner via the inside of the post.
Cochrane was playing well and ten minutes after his first, he hit another powerful shot from the edge of the box but this time it was too high. Three minutes before the break, Todd got in on the action, but his shot cleared the bar.
A minute later, Kevin OHara missed a great chance to restore the visitors lead when he had space at the front post but some how headed wide. And on the stroke of half time Tumilty was allowed to get the ball along the by-line but Kyle McClelland did enough to clear.
HALF TIME: Queens 1 Hamilton Accies 1
As the second half got underway, Cammy Logan burst down the right channel to cause a problem for the Accies defence, they managed to clear only for Connelly to pick up the loose ball, but he fired over.
John Rankins side had a couple of chances, but Stone did well to collect a high ball and spread himself to block another effort.
The game lacked too many clear-cut chances after the break, but Connelly was again denied by the crossbar when his powerful shot from distance smashed the frame. And Oscar MacIntyre did well to win the ball, his quick pass over the top had Hutchinson in one on one with the keeper but the big striker was offside.
Former, Queens defender Lee Kilday did burst in on goal, but as Stone parried his shot, Ambrose cleared. A draw looked on the cards until six minutes from time when the visitors won a free-kick out on the left, as Henderson floated it into the box, a number of Queens players failed to get on the end of it and Jackson Longridge split them open to side foot the ball past Stone.
The keeper collected a Connor Murray shot before Lewis Gibson won a set piece for Queens but as he played it into the box, the referee blew for a free kick against Alex Ferguson as he looked to get on the end of it.
And for the second week in a row, a lack of concentration late on in the game cost a point as Accies maintained their unbeaten start to the season.
FULL TIME: Queens 1 Hamilton Accies 2