Hamilton Accies were the visitors to Palmerston for our first home game in the league. With Jack Hannah still recovering from a rib injury he picked up last week and unavailable, manager Peter Murphy brought Mikey Hewitt back into the side in the one change from the team that started at Cove Rangers.

After a terrific performance in Aberdeen hopes were high going into the game. There wasn’t much between the sides for the opening spell and although there was a lot of decent play goal-mouth chances were limited. The first of the game fell to Kevin O’Hara who had a right foot effort that flew over the bar.

At the other end, Liam Smith played a good ball into to the box that was hooked away. It fell to Kai Kennedy who played a one – two with Ben Johnstone, they still couldn’t get the ball in until Callum Penman found Reece Lyon only for the attack to fizzle out.

As the visitors started to take a grip of the game, they looked stronger and faster and midway through the half, O’Hara found himself in space, this time his right foot effort was collected by Ross Stewart.

Stewart was beaten a minute later though when Connor Smith hit a wonder strike past him from 35-yards to open the scoring.

It was one way traffic now and on the half hour mark, as Matty Douglas slipped, Stewart made a great save to deny Oli Shaw. A minute later the striker held the line but fired a right foot shot high over the bar.

The keeper was having a busy time of it and again held as Steven Bradley tried to find a second. The Accies attack was relentless and the Queens number one hardly had time to catch a breath before he made a block from Shaw. As the ball fell inside the six-yard box, Penman cleared the shot before Shaw had a second chance that Stewart blocked with his feet at the post to put it out for corner.

With ten minutes of the first half remaining, a quick ball in to the near post was hit first time by Smith but again, Stewart saved his side.

There was nothing he could do five minutes later when a trialist for Hamilton hit a stunning right foot shot from 25-yards that sailed into the net. The keeper did try to get a hand to it but it was so close to the underside of the crossbar that he didn’t have a chance.

HALF TIME: Queens 0 Hamilton Accies 2

Queens had Stewart to thank for it only being two at the break but they made storming start to the second half and Taylor Charters burst through the middle before finding Smith out on the right, his delivery to the back post found Lyon who headed home just 22 seconds after the restart.

The goal gave the team and the fans a lift and minutes later Kennedy and Lyon combined to win a corner but the visitors managed to clear any danger.

On top and causing problems, Queens had Accies worried, Charters hit a free-kick from the side of the box that looked to be curling into the top corner but Jamie Smith got a touch on it to push it out.

However, the comeback faded a minute later, eight minutes after the break when Smith grabbed his second, Accies third with another shot from distance that curled past Stewart from 20-yards to restore their two-goal advantage.

The home side huffed and puffed and Johnstone had a half chance before Kurtis Guthrie who had been isolated for much of the game got his head on the end of a Lyons cross but he was underneath it and couldn’t direct it past the keeper.

Just after the hour mark, things got worse for Queens when Bradley got the better of Charters and Stewart to slot the ball into the net to make it four.

Midway through the half, Queens latest signing, Freddie O’Donoghue looked lively after coming off the bench and on the six-yard line he tried to force a way through but Lee Kilday made the challenge giving Smith the chance to retrieve the ball.

The rest of the game passed with a mixture of substitutions and bookings to round off a disappointing afternoon.

FULL TIME: Queens 1 Hamilton Accies 4

Team: Stewart, Hewitt, Charters, Lyon, Douglas, Smith, Luissint, Kennedy, Penman (O’Donoghue 64), Johnstone (Stott 64) & Guthrie (Ross 84). Subs not used: Thomson, Rogerson, McLinden, Hall & Gray.

Ref: Greg Soutar