On the back of a win over Cove last weekend, Queens made the long trip north for another massive game against Peterhead. Manager, Nicky Clark made one change to the side with Cole Coughlin starting and Chris McQueen dropping to the bench.

It was a slow start by both sides with neither team creating any clear chances. The hosts did try to make a break after six minutes but Taylor Charters made a good challenge to stop them from getting near the box. From there Liam Smith broke and tried to play it out for Connor Young but the cross was cut out by the home defence.

Quarter of an hour in they cleared again as Coughlin collected a Charters throw in on the left channel and cut inside. Two minutes later, Caleb Goldie’s clearance was knocked on by Coughlin to Smith but again the ball was cleared.

Smith and Jack Stott both delivered crosses into the box without causing any danger.

Midway through the first half, Lyall Keir and Andy McCarthy combined at the edge of the area but Shaun Want was there to cancel out the move. Within sixty seconds, Keir got away from Goldie and Niall Rogerson and crossed for Zak To, he managed to have a shot but Deniz Mehmet made the save.

Smith made another break and played in a good delivery from the right but Young couldn’t reach it. Back at the other end a short free-kick was played across to Jason Brown but Clark knocked it out for a corner. A second set-piece followed from the other side this time and as it was delivered, To hit a low drive wide.

There was still nothing between the sides and it was fairly scrappy and neither keeper had much to do. Zander Mackenzie played a long cross ball looking for Young at the edge of the six-yard box but the defence did their job as they got the ball first.

On the half hour mark, Mackenzie played a free-kick into the far side of the box where Clark had peeled away from his marker but the move came to nothing.

Four minutes later the hosts had a decent chance but Cieran Dunne dragged left foot shot just the wrong side of Mehmet’s left hand post. Minutes later, Keir and McCarthy worked their way forward to set up Mitch Megginson but as he reached the box he went down to easy.

The best chance of the opening forty-five came a minute before the break when Young hit a great shot from the right hand side of the box but Craig Hepburn made a save to match.

In added on time, Queens weren’t convincing with their clearance from the box and Cameron Smith hit a right foot shot from outside the area but he was off target.

HALF TIME: Peterhead 0 Queens 0

It was positive from Queens as the second half got underway and Young had an early chance but his left foot shot from outside the area was high and wide. Seven minutes later, Charter’s had his effort from distance blocked.

Just before the hour mark, Dunne made a poor challenge on Smith and as he landed awkwardly the home side were forced into a change as he had to leave the field on a stretcher.

The change didn’t upset them too much and minutes later, Seb Ross was just wide with a header from the centre of the box.

As the game entered the final fifteen minutes, Clark pounced on a poor header but didn’t have enough space to turn to have a shot himself so instead laid it back to Stott who did but it lacked power and it was an easy collection for the keeper.

Peterhead hit back and as the game moved to the other end, Archie Graham got his head on the end of a free-kick but couldn’t direct the ball towards goal. However, it wasn’t cleared properly and To dragged a shot wide.

As both sides looked for the opener, Smith did well on the by-line and played it to the front post for Coughlin, but he couldn’t turn it in. 

With eight minutes remaining, Mehmet got down to save at his right hand post to keep it goal-less. It looked like that’s how it would end until two minutes later when Graham made a challenge on Smith inside the box and Young kept the ball low to beat Hepburn from the penalty spot.

Queens managed the game in the final minutes with the use of substitutions although the final chance of the game saw Mehmet get down low to save from Bobby McLuckie as he cut along the 18-yard line and fired a left foot shot towards goal.

It wasn’t the most entertaining game but it is a massive three points that moves Queens to sixth in the table.

FULL TIME: Peterhead 0 Queens 1

Teams:

Peterhead: Hepburn, Graham, Jason Brown, Yule, Keir (Ross 53), McCarthy, Megginson, Dunne (Davis-Brown 60), Smith (McLuckie 78), To (Searle 78) & Forrest. Subs not used: Newman, Strachan, Stokes, Teklemichael-Bahta & Kerr.

Queens: Mehmet, Goldie, Charters, Stott, Smith, Mackenzie, Young (Dair 93), Clark (McQueen 86), Want, Rogerson & Coughlin (Hutton 79). Subs not used: Petry, Johnstone, Ellis, Davis, Luissint & Gray.

Ref: Joel Kennedy 

Crowd: 574