After a positive end to 2025, Queens made the trip to fellow promotion chasers, Stenhousemuir for the first game of 2026. With leaders Inverness idol due to the weather, both sides knew that a victory would see them start the year at the top of the table. Having beaten Hamilton convincingly last weekend, it was no surprise that Manager, Peter Murphy stuck with the same starting eleven at Ochilview.
The winter sun was out but it was bitterly cold and the match was one of two that survived the freezing conditions in league one. The first real chance of the game came after nine minutes when a cross from the left dropped to Mikey Hewitt in the middle of the box but he couldnt connect.
Both sides cancelled each other out and there was very little goal-mouth action at either end. Until ten minutes later when Kai Kennedy played a free-kick into the area and Reece Lyon headed just wide.
Midway through the half, as things opened out, Oliver Whyte tried to find space but Brennan Dickenson kicked the ball clear. Five minutes later, Hewitt blocked from Kinley Bilham, the clearance fell nicely to the same player, giving him a second attempt a goal but he could only turn it wide.
Lyon was looking sharp for Queens and as he burst forward he linked up well with Liam Smith but his cross back to Lyon was cut out. With just over half an hour played, Smith did well to win the ball from Whyte but referee Greg Souter deemed the winger hadnt won the ball cleanly and awarded a free-kick.
It handed the momentum back to the hosts and as they attacked, Scott McGill curled a right foot shot from the edge of the box, but Ross Stewart collected.
But within seconds Taylor Charters made a mistake that allowed Ross Taylor to play the ball forward for Matthew Aitken who got in behind the Queens center backs and kept the ball low to beat Stewart at his right-hand bottom corner to give Stenhousemuir the lead.
There had been very little between the sides in the first half but Queens had Stewart to thank for keeping it at one as they headed into the break when he was a full stretch to make a great save to deny Taylor from finding the top corner.
HALF TIME: Stenhousemuir 1 Queens 0
Three minutes after the restart, Queens were awarded a free-kick, Kennedy floated it into a dangerous area but it was headed clear.
The visitors were forced to make a change nine minutes in when Brennan Dickenson went down holding his calf and as the game resumed, McGill hit a low shot but it was an easy take for Stewart.
Queens seemed to be struggling after the interval and looked unsettled and disjointed, although Kennedy hit a diagonal ball into the area that Kurtis Guthrie managed to get his head on, but he headed just over.
With an hour played, it was the hosts who started to carry more of a threat and as they broke, Smith did well to cut of any danger from Taylor before Matty Douglas picked up a booking for a deliberate foul to halt an attack.
Ten minutes later, Queens were forced into a second change as Lyon was unable to continue having fallen awkwardly on the hard surface.
It had been a disappointing second half and with ten minutes of the game remaining, Gary Naysmiths men secured the points when Nicky Jamieson headed home a corner to double the advantage. Within, two minutes they almost added a third but Stewart saved from Aitken.
Queens weren`t at the races in the second half but Kennedy did hit a curling shot from the edge of the box that Darren Jamieson saved and Benji Luissint did well to hold off a couple of challenges to make space for himself but his final shot lacked power.
FULL TIME: Stenhousemuir 2 Queens 0