Today's match demonstrated quite clearly that there's nothing between a team challenging for promotion and one battling relegation from division two. Indeed Queens it was who deserved to take the full points after a stirring second half performance that had the visitors on the back foot for much of the second forty five minutes.
As it turned out, honours were shared and with Stenhousemuir producing a fine comeback from a two nil deficit at Stair Park to level the scores, the gap has been maintained.
Queens again started the match brightly with Sandy Hodge making a couple of galloping runs down the left wing early on. It was from the big man that the ball found its way wide right, John Dickson chased it down and managed to keep it just in play, he then beat his marker and sent an incisive ball between the defence and keeper to find Stevie Mallan who cheekily back heeled it into the net for a seventh minute goal.
Play then seemed to be more or less confined to the midfield areas for long spells with Partick having no success in breaking down a determined Queens defensive line, ably assisted by Graham Duncan who picked up numerous balls in and around the edge of the box to avert danger.
The only time that Mathieson was beaten found Kevin Robison well placed on the goal line to coolly clear the ball.
Sandy Hodge was a constant threat down the left, however in one clash of heads he had to leave the field for attention, although he played the rest of the match he was taken for medical checks after the match.
The second half started at the same speed that the first had, however within a couple of minute Partick had equalised, the ball came into the Queens box and was struck goalward, David Mathieson initially pushed the ball away, however with a number of bodies attempting to connect with the ball a Partick player went over and Andy Aitken was adjudged to have fouled the player. From the resultant penalty keeper Mathieson got a hand to but failed to stop the ball hitting the back of the net.
Aitken's booking could prove to be more costly than at first sight as he has now crossed over the points limit and looks likely to suffer a multiple match ban after next Saturday's clash at Clyde.
Rather than dampen Queens spirit it seemed to spur them on and the second half was dominated by the Doonhamers pressing forward at every opportunity.
New signing from Arbroath, (See News), John Gallagher, was replaced on 60 minutes by Mark Weir, making a rare first team appearance. Weir's fresh legs caused more problems almost immediately for the Jags as he bore down on goal but just couldn't get a clear sight of goal
![[Everybody's up for it]](2503_02.jpg)
Stevie Mallan takes up an unorthodox position
On eighty two minutes Namibian internationalist Quinton Jacobs received his marching orders for the Jags after a reasonably innocuous foul on Paul Stewart, however Jacobs had already been booked in the first half for a horrendous challenge right in front of the dug-outs that had the crowd seething.
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![[Last chance]](2503_01.jpg)
Our last chance goes by
| For Queens that last eight minutes were an all out siege on the Partick goal, however no clear cut chances were really made and the match ended all square, certainly a case of two points lost. However Queens can take heart that they have now lost only one out of the last five matches and have taken the scalps of Clyde, Alloa and drawn with fellow promotion contenders Partick. Surely a continuation of that form would see the Palmerston Park men rise of the bottom before the end of the season!
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