With further injuries in the lead up to the game, there were two changes to the starting eleven for the visit of Kelty Hearts. Daniel Church and Paul McKay dropped out with Jordan Houston and Craig McGuffie taking their places.
It was a really positive start from Queens and within three minutes, McGuffie hit a powerful low strike, but Kyle Gourlay got down to save. Queens were enjoying the bulk of the pressure but their next real chance on goal came on twenty minutes when Gavin Reilly had a great chance to extend the lead. The striker did well to cut in from the left-hand side but as he homed in on goal, he dragged his right foot effort the wrong side of the upright.
Two minutes later McGuffie was inside his own half when he spotted the keeper off his line. His left foot shot was on target and was starting to drop and dip into the net when Gourley managed to backtrack to collect.
Queens eventually got the breakthrough on the half hour mark. Lee Connelly found McGuffie inside the six-yard box with a nice wee backheel pass, his first attempt was turned away by the keeper with a second played out for a corner. As the corner was played in Kyle McClellands effort was knocked over the line into his own net by Jason Thomson.
The home side were well on top and Oscar MacIntyre tried a shot from 25-yards that was low and dangerous, but the keeper did his job. McGuffie then tried a left foot shot from the same distance, but he was wide of the target.
Kelty hadnt threatened so far but found themselves level a minute before the break when Efe Ambrose seemed to lose concentration and managed to dribble the ball out for a corner when he should have cleared. From the resulting set piece, the same defender failed to pick up Fergus Owens at the back post and he had a free header to beat Harry Stone.
HALF TIME: Queens 1 Kelty Hearts 1
Within 44 seconds of the restart, Houston delivered the ball into the box, but it took a bounce in front of Reilly in front of goal. It did reach Connelly at the opposite side and was cleared for a corner, as it came back into play the move ended with Alex Ferguson firing well over the bar from outside the box.
As much as Queens had been on top in the game, it turned four minutes into the second half when Kelty grabbed a second. Stone made a terrific stop to deny Reece Lyon who headed towards goal, but as the ball came back outside the box, McGuffie didnt do enough to stop Michael Tidser getting a shot away and as the ball hit off the back of McClelland it spun away from the keeper into the top corner.
The game was over five minutes later as the visitors added a third. Queens failed to clear the ball and then failed to pick up Lyon and in space he fired the ball across Stone into the bottom corner.
Midway through the half, Queens substitute Harvey Walker had a shot, but it was too high and at the other end Lewis Moore cleared the bar from distance. It looked like Stone had got a touch on it to push it over, but a goal-kick was given.
With fifteen minutes left, Ferguson shot wide after decent play by Walker and Connelly and in the closing five minutes the latter tried to find the net with a looping header from a tight angle only for Gourley to collect.
It was definitely a game of two halves, a very positive first that fell apart in the second.
FULL TIME: Queens 1 Kelty Hearts 3