After a disappointing cup game against Berwick, it was back to our league fixtures and the visit of league one leaders, Ross County. Manager, Nicky Clark made a return to the starting eleven as one of six changes made to the side. Caleb Goldie, Jack Stott, Liam Smith, Shaun Want were also back along with Zander Hutton who made his first start since joining on loan from Rangers. They came in for the injured Aaron Davis and Chris McQueen, the others who missed out and dropped to the bench were Brodie Dair, Ben Johnstone, Cole Coughlin and Ruari Ellis.

Having suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of County already this season, Queens knew it would be a tough afternoon. Smith got the game underway but it was the visitors who came out the traps fastest and within two minutes, Brian Graham had their first chance when he fired a right foot shot wide.

They moved the ball around with pace and as Graham won the ball ahead of Clark, he played it forward for Richard Chin who hit a shot low past Mehmet to open the scoring after just four minutes.  Queens had barely drawn breath before County added a second.  A poor clearance fell to Chris Hamilton who fired the ball into the net.

The Staggies were rapid and as Queens struggled to deal with the speed they were hemmed into their own half.  And with only nine minutes of the game gone, County held a three-goal lead.  Mehmet pulled off a good save to turn Luke McCarvel’s header out for a corner but as it was delivered into the box, Akil Wright headed home.

Queens had been floundering and the game was already gone but they needed to do something and as they looked to get forward, Zander Mackenzie gave the ball away at the half-way line and McCarvel made a break, he played the square pass to Graham who looked odds on to add to the tally but Mehmet got down to save.

However, they continued to press and with twenty-one minutes on the clock, Connor Randall got on the end of Graham’s cross from the right-hand side and headed home number four.

Midway through the half, Queens won a free-kick but as Mackenzie floated it in, it had too much power and carried no threat. 

On the half hour mark, Chin was waiting inside the six-yard box but Niall Rogerson hooked the ball clear and two minutes later, Taylor Charters made a good challenge out wide to clear as Chin looked to make a break.

It had been extremely tough going as County were quick and clinical, but with ten minutes of the first half remaining, Queens started to push more and Stott made a good run down the left, holding off the chasing Chin to win a corner.  The set-piece was cleared but opened up an opportunity for Charters who hit a terrific strike from 20-yards but Brad Foster reacted and got down well to push it out for a corner.

It had been a good couple of minutes from the home side but County hit on the break and Graham’s effort was deflected for a corner.  The delivery into the box was good but Wright skied the ball over the bar. Queens hit back and Goldie played the ball forward for Connor Young who linked up well with Hutton but as the latter looked to back-heel the ball into space inside the area, the danger was cleared.

And three minutes before the break, as Queens looked for the offside flag to go up, it didn’t and Ross Docherty lifted the ball over Mehmet to give the Highlanders a five-goal cushion at the interval.

HALF TIME: Queens 0 Ross County 5

Two minutes after the restart, the flag did go up as Chin played the ball across for Kieran Phillips.  Five minutes later, Docherty wasn’t far away with his right foot shot from distance.

Queens got their heads down and became a lot more competitive in the second half and as Smith was taken out by Randall, the free-kick was played to the 18-yard line where Clark had his shot blocked.  As the ball spun around inside the area, Rogerson was on the deck but managed to get his foot on it to direct it towards goal but again the visitors blocked.

As they won another free-kick, the defensive wall did its job as it stopped Young’s kick.

It was better from Queens but County always looked dangerous and as Lewis Strapp broke through the middle, he was one on one with Mehmet, but it was the keeper who came out on top as he blocked with his feet.

Sixty seconds later, Young was just inside the County half when he spotted Foster off his line and fired the ball towards goal, but it was just wide.

With an hour gone, Chin crossed from the right for Phillips, but the striker headed over.  

It was more of a contest and end to end and as Hutton crossed from the left it was just out of reach of Young. The forward then had a cross of his own blocked. Before Smith cut in from the right to drill a shot across goal into the bottom corner to pull one back with twenty minutes to go.

Six minutes later Mehmet kept it to five when he got behind Rocco Diack’s header from point blank range. And with eight minutes of the game remaining, he made another fine stop this time to deny Jack Turner. However, Graham pounced on the loose ball to score from the rebound.

Mackenzie tried to reduce the deficit as he went wide to make space before hitting the ball the wrong side of the upright.

But it was County who rounded off the scoring six minutes from time when Goldie made a challenge inside the box and Graham converted from the penalty spot to score his second of the afternoon, County’s seventh.

FULL TIME: Queens 1 Ross County 7

Teams:

Queens: Mehmet, Goldie, Charters, Stott (Ellis 46), Smith, Mackenzie, Young, Clark (Coughlin 80), Want, Rogerson & Hutton (Dair 86). Subs not used: Petry, Johnstone, Luissint, Gray, Kelly & McColm.

Ross County: Foster, Strapp (Reid 74). Wright, Randall, Chin (Lindsay 74), Graham, Phillips (Diack 66), Smith, Hamilton, McCarvel (Emslie 66) & Docherty (Turner 74).  Subs not used: Suman, Williamson, Reid & Brown.

Ref: Graham Grainger

Crowd: 845