We were back on the road for our latest league one fixture, destination Montrose. The manager made three changes to the starting eleven from the one that started against Hearts B in midweek. Ross Stewart returned in goal, while Ben Johnstone recovered from his injury to join the midfield line-up and along side him there was a debut for loan signing, Zander MacKenzie who joined from Partick Thistle. Lawton Green, Niall Rogerson and Billy Gray were the players to miss out and drop to the bench.
The hosts had won five and drawn one in their last six games so were on a good run of form and an early ball in from Kieran Freeman was headed wide by Blair Lyons. Two minutes later, Liam Smith hit his effort over the bar for Queens before Jack Stotts corner was headed on by Jack Hannah only for the home side to head clear the danger.
The game was tight and moving from end to end, as Montrose made a break thanks to Lewis Gibson the ball was played into the box and controlled by Lyons on his chest but he couldnt find the space to have a proper shot. At the other end, Freddie ODonoghue had the ball in the net but it was after the whistle had blown.
Quarter of an hour in, Smith hit the ball on the volley from inside the box but it landed the wrong side of the post. Midway through the half, Stott played a free-kick to the opposite side of the park for Mikey Hewitt but his header was off target.
Smith then went on a run from the right and cut inside and won a corner, as the ball was played in by Stott, Cameron Gill tipped the ball over the bar. Hannah got his head to the second corner only for it to be turned wide again and from the third set-piece, Hannah headed wide.
Minutes later the defender was back in his own box to head the ball clear and as the ball was launched forward, ODonoghue was in a race with Kerr Waddell but gave away a free-kick as he tried to gain the advantage.
On the half hour mark, Gibsons free-kick from 30-yards was headed out for a corner and as the former Queens winger delivered the ball to the front post Johnstone headed clear.
It had been an even game with neither team getting the upper hand and it remained stalemate at the interval as Keir Berties shot was deflected by Matty Douglas for Ross Stewart to collect.
HALF TIME: Montrose 0 Queens 0
Six minutes into the second half, Brennan Dickenson was introduced to the game from the bench and he quickly had a chance from the edge of the box that Callum Sandilands blocked. As the ball broke, Lyons stayed onside but was challenged inside the box by Reece Lyon and his effort was wide.
Back at the other end, Gill made a great save to deny Stott as he looked to give Queens the lead. The game was opening up and with an hour played, Douglas cleared from Graham Webster and as Queens broke, the flag was raised for offside against Dickenson. It looked like the wrong call by the assistant referee and it proved costly for Queens as Montrose moved up the park and from a great delivery into the box by Gibson on the left, Webster sent a powerful shot past Stewart to open the scoring.
The goal seemed to knock Queens for six but as they tried to get back into it, substitute Callum Penman floated the ball in to the box looking for Dickenson but it was too near the keeper. While Queens confidence was low, the home side had their tails up and as they pushed forward, Lyon looked to be fouled in the box but it wasnt given and Terry Masson hit a right foot shot that was net bound before it was cleared.
A second goal followed within sixty seconds when Lyons effort came back off the underside of the bar and Freeman was there to knock the rebound into the net from close range.
With ten minutes of the 90 left Dickenson pulled one back as he fired the ball across the keeper into the bottom corner. Kai Kennedy then hit a right foot effort from distance that landed on the roof of the net.
In the last minute of regulation time, Hewitts cross into the box was poor and allowed the home side to break and they were unlucky not to add a third when Webster hit the woodwork again. Before Queens won a free-kick just outside the box, Kennedy took it with his right foot but was inches too high.
And in the dying embers of the game things got heated when the home side objected to a challenge on the keeper. As they surrounded youngster Gray, Dickenson and Douglas got involved and some pushing and shoving from both sides resulted in a yellow card for Dickenson and Bertie.
FULL TIME: Montrose 2 Queens 1