In the opening round of KDM Evolution Trophy fixtures, we made the trip to newly promoted league two side, East Kilbride. As manager Peter Murphy utilized the squad, he made five changes to the side that faced Hamilton Accies at the weekend. Reece Lyon missed out with a knee problem and there was no Callum Penman. In the other changes, Taylor Charters, Benji Luissint along with Kai Kennedy dropped to the bench. Their places in the line-up were taken by Niall Rogerson, Jack Stott, Euan Ross, Freddie O?Donoghue and a trialist.

Queens made a good start and Liam Smith showed some tricky footwork as he made his way into the box before being blocked. As the rebound fell to Ross the home side cleared. Queens did make an early breakthrough though when Stott played a great ball in from the right-hand side and Kurtis Guthrie was at the back post to finish from close range with just eight minutes played.

Ten minutes later, Joe Morrison hit his clearance straight to Smith at the edge of the box, under pressure the winger did manage a shot but he dragged it wide of the upright.

Within sixty seconds the hosts were back level when Queens failed to clear a shot properly and Lewis Dobbie was on hand to fire a right foot shot from inside the box past Ross Stewart.

The hosts gained momentum and midway through the half, Joao Balde attempted a shot from 20-yards but he was off target. Lewis Spence then tried to slip the ball through to Dobbie but the offside flag was raised.

With just over half an hour played, Jack Leitch had a shot that was cleared just over the bar for a corner before Jack Healy got in between Mikey Hewitt and Smith to hit a right foot effort that was easily collected by Stewart.

Healy was lively and causing problems for the visitors and as he played a good ball into the box, the defense had to block Balde?s effort. Healy was again involved a minute later when he worked his way into space before hitting a shot with his right foot, it was on target but well taken by Stewart.

In the dying embers of the first half, Stott went on a run through the middle but his final shot was collected by Morrison. At the other end the hosts passed up a good opportunity when Healy hit a shot from inside the box, Stewart and Hewitt were both waiting to clear but the ball flew wide anyway.

The final chance of the first half fell to Queens, O?Donoghue stretched to get on the end of a delivery but could only steer it wide of the post.

HALF TIME: East Kilbride 1 Queens 1

Two minutes after the restart it looked like the ball was handled as Smith broke into the area but it wasn?t given and Healy was back in his six-yard box to make a strong clearance. As the home side attacked, Keir Foster hit a right foot shot from outside the box but it was rising all the way and cleared the crossbar.

Foster then created another chance for Kilby with a great ball across the face of goal but there were no takers on the end of it.

With just less than an hour played, a mistake with a clearance allowed Balde to cross the ball in for Dobbie, Matty Douglas tried to clear but the striker kept the ball low to fire home his second of the night.

The hosts looked hungry and midway through the half substitute John Robertson hit a decent shot but was denied by Stewart who made a brilliant save. The Queens number one then held well as Healy shot from the edge of the box.

Luissint who had come off the bench to replace Guthrie passed up a chance to pull Queens level as the ball flashed across the goal-line. And less than ten minutes later, the result was beyond doubt when Leitch headed home a third.

Like Saturday, Queens huffed and puffed, Kennedy tried to curl the ball past Morrison but it didn?t have enough power behind it to cause any danger and it was the home side who finished on the front foot. Robertson tried to find the net from 19-yards that ended up wide and with the final chance of the game, Leitch tested Stewart from inside the box but the keeper got a strong hand to it to punch it over the bar.

FULL TIME: East Kilbride 3 Queens 1