Kelty Hearts were the visitors as we brought the curtain down on our season. With suspensions and injuries within the squad the Gaffer made two changes to the side that started against Airdrie last week. Iain Wilson missed out after his ankle injury and was replaced by Calvin McGrory while Cammy Logan took a place on the bench with Ross Irving making the line-up.
The visitors had claimed three wins over us in league one so far this campaign so there was as determination to end that run and to finish the season on a high. We got off to a good start with a goal after just eight minutes. Kieran McKechnie made a good run forward and as the ball came back out to Harry Cochrane, 20 yards from goal, he caught it sweet on the volley with his left foot and as continued to rise, Liam Campbell couldnt stop it from finding the net right under the crossbar.
Kelty hit back, and Gordon Botterill blocked from Alfredo Agyeman before the striker was again through on goal a couple of minutes later. He did look to be offside, but the flag stayed down, and the keeper had to get down to save.
With quarter of an hour gone, Ruari Paton went down in the box, but referee Barry Cook booked him rather than point to the spot.
However, just before the half hour mark the Irishman doubled the lead as he won the ball inside the box and rounded the keeper to slot it into the net. Four minutes later, he had another chance when McKechnie played the ball in from the right wing but this time, Paton was underneath the ball and headed over.
The advantage was cut twelve minutes before the interval when Josh Todd made a mistake in the middle of the park setting up Agyeman who hit it low across Botterill into the bottom corner.
It lifted them but after a decent spell for Kelty Queens settled again and Lewis Gibson did well to get the ball into the box, but it was cleared, only as far as McGrory whose shot was blocked. Young Gibbo then fired one over the bar before Joe Cardle forced a right foot stop from Botterill.
In the closing stages of the first half, it was Queens who had further chances, Ciaran McKenna made a good charge forward, skipping a few challenges to deliver a great ball into the box but unfortunately there was no one on the end of it. And in added on time, as Kanayochukwa Megwa was booked for a poor challenge on Gibson, Paul McKay got on the end of McGrorys free kick but headed over.
HALF TIME: QUEENS 2 KELTY HEARTS 1
The first chance of the second half came six minutes in when Irving hit an acrobatic kick goal-bound only for it to take a deflection out for a corner.
It was warm out on the park and as players started to tire, Marvin Bartley made changes which allowed Queens to step it up again. Cochrane played a terrific ball over the top to substitute Connor Murray who did well to control it with his chest, but his shot was too high.
Sixty-five minutes in Queens restored their advantage with some great football. Paton and Gibson linked up well before the latter played the ball across the six-yard box for Murray to slide in to score.
Two minutes later as Paton lined up a shot, Aaron Darge made a well-timed challenge to put it out for a corner. As Murray played it in, Todd miscued a volley.
However, the game was well beyond Kelty after sixty-eight minutes when Paton converted a penalty. The frontmans original effort came off Jack Milne and from the spot-kick he fired it straight down the middle for his second, Queens fourth of the afternoon to leave him joint top goal-scorer in the division.
It turned out to be a comfortable win in the end to finish the season on a high. There was an overall disappointment that we fell short of making the play-offs but we will take the positives from a strong second half of the campaign that saw us finish fifth.
FULL TIME: QUEENS 4 KELTY HEARTS 1