With three wins from four in their league games in October so far, Queens made the trip to East Fife looking for the three points to round off a good month.  With Liam Smith suspended he sat this one out and was replaced in the starting eleven by Cole Coughlin, in the one change made to the side that faced Alloa.

Zander Mackenzie got the game underway and after seven minutes Connor Young made a run down the left and got the cross in but Matty Rollo got down to collect before it could reach Coughlin.  It had been a fairly slow start to the game by Queens and just two minutes later they fell behind.  Jack Stott gave away a corner that was taken by Reis Peggie who floated it all the way to the back post where Andy Munro got in ahead of Niall Rogerson to bundle the ball into the net.

Losing early goals has been a recurring theme this season and as Queens looked to hit back, they had a strong claim for a penalty turned down when Young went down just inside the box.

Midway through the first half a well worked move by the visitors saw Nicky Clark leave the ball for Young behind him and as he returned the ball to the Gaffer his shot was blocked.  A minute later, Young held off the challenge of three defenders before taking a left foot shot but it didn’t have enough power and Rollo saved.

Queens were pushing but weren’t carrying the threat in the final third although a good ball over the top was controlled well by Young but his shot wasn’t the cleanest and it was wide of the upright.

Ten minutes before the break, Caleb Goldie played a great cross in from the right but it was cut out by Brian Easton as Coughlin waited in the middle. Sixty seconds later, the young American played a low ball into the box that won his side a corner.  Mackenzie took it and as Clark went to connect he looked to be pushed in the back but for a second time, referee Jordan Curran waved away their shout for a penalty.

And with three minutes of the half remaining, the hosts moved further ahead when Queens failed to deal with things properly out on the right-hand side and Jack Healy was given the chance to turn at the edge of the box and curl a shot into the top corner.

HALF TIME: East Fife 2 Queens 0

Peggie got the second half underway and three minutes after the restart, Easton robbed the ball from Want to get it into the box but Rogerson got across to cover and make the challenge. 

Queens had most of the possession but were doing very little with it where it mattered. Mackenzie did make a run but Kieran Millar made an important challenge. Mackenzie then played in a corner that Shaun Want got on the end of but his shot was blocked.

On the hour mark, Want gave away a free-kick 19-yards out as he brought down Ross but Healy hit the ball off the wall.  

Queens then won a free-kick of their own that Stott played towards Clark at the back-post, he caught it with his right boot but couldn’t get enough curl on it and it flew wide of the other post.  Substitute, Brodie Dair played a good ball to the edge of the six-yard box but it was cleared for a corner. As it was played in, it was cleared as far as Coughlin but his powerful shot was stopped by Liam Newton.

The visitors were getting the ball forward and Coughlin’s cross was headed back in by Zander Hutton for Young but he headed over. Coughlin was lively and as he tried to get on the end of a ball into the box, Rollo came out to take.

The home side were still a danger on the break and Ross wasn’t far away with a left foot shot.

Into the closing stages, Young won a free-kick 25-yards out, as he took it himself, he hit it straight at the keeper.  He then combined with Coughlin but they couldn’t get through a solid unit. 

As Dair’s corner was headed away by Easton, Tyrell Skeen Hamilton chased the long ball and crossed for Ross but Taylor Charters was there to calmly clear.

In added on time, Hutton won a corner and Coughlin was on the six-yard line but the keeper blocked.

It was a game where Queens had a lot of possession but lacked the finishing touch and the home side claimed all three-points.

FULL TIME: East Fife 2 Queens 0

Teams:

East Fife: Rollo, Newton, Millar, Easton, Peggie (Laaref 86), Gaffney (Hamilton 73), Ross, Healy (Beattie 60), Munro, Mcleod & Ballantyne.  Subs not used: Bruce, Joseph, Dow, Bah & Seisay.

Queens: Mehmet, Goldie (Charters 63), Sott, Mackenzie (Dair 63), Young, Clark, Want, Rogerson, Coughlin, Luissint & Hutton.  Subs not used: Petry, Hannah, Davis, Gray & McColm.

Ref: Jordan Curran

Crowd: 553