With Josh Todd added to the injury list with a knee problem following the game against Accies last week, there was another enforced change for Manager Marvin Bartley as he selected the line up to face Kelty Hearts. Todd was replaced in the middle of the park by Ben Johnstone who made his first start for the club. He was one of four changes, Lee Connelly who had been ill all week dropped to the bench along with Oscar MacIntyre and Efe Ambrose. They were replaced by Alex Ferguson, Lewis Gibson and Jack Brydon who made his first start after a hamstring injury against Dundee United pre-season.
Queens won an early free kick that Gibson played into the box but experienced defender Thomas OWare headed clear. The next chance also fell to the visitors as Jake Hutchinson made a break to set up a chance for Kieran McKechnie, but he dragged his right foot shot wide of the target.
A minute later, youngsters Johnstone and Gibson combined as the former picked up the latter on the left, but he skied his volley.
The home side started to venture forward more and Jamie Walker on the right played the ball across the face of goal but there was nobody up with him to take advantage.
Midway through the first half Reece Lyon had the ball in the net for Kelty Hearts as he got on the end of a free kick, but the whistle had blown. With just over half an hour gone, Lewis ODonnell did well on the wing and as he delivered the ball to the back post Lewis Moore was waiting but he couldnt connect properly, and it gave Queens the chance to clear.
As the half progressed, Jordan Houston played the ball down the right channel and Cammy Logan did well to hold it up to win a corner. As Gibbo delivered it into the box, Brydon headed over.
Queens did take the lead a minute later when Gibson did well to set up a chance for McKechnie, keeper Kyle Gourlay saved his shot, but Hutchinson was quick to react to fire the ball into the net.
The lead was short lived though as a couple of minutes later, the home side were awarded a penalty when Craig Johnston went down the box. Moore duly converted the spot kick, keeping it low past Harry Stone to draw level.
HALF TIME: Kelty Hearts 1 Queens 1
Queens injury crisis continued at half time when Connelly tweaked his hamstring in the warmup.
They barely had time to put that to the back of their mind when Kelty took the lead. Just minutes after the restart a ball was whipped in from the left and Lyon sneaked in at the back post to head past Stone.
As Queens looked to get back into it McKechnie burst through on the hour mark and as he skipped the first challenge to continue his way into the box, Michael Tidser made a well time challenge to force a corner from which Kyle McClelland headed over.
Kelty almost extended their lead when Johnston got the bounce of the ball to catch Brydon on the wrong side but his volley from the outside of his right boot flew just past the front upright.
Queens made changes and a change of shape to try to get back into it and as they pushed higher up the park, OWare almost turned Logans cross into his own net. The defender then picked up an ankle injury and had to be stretchered off as he cleared when Kyle Doherty attacked Harvey Walkers cross into the danger area.
With nine minutes of normal time remaining, Gourlay kept his side ahead as he made a great block to deny Hutchinson from inside the six-yard box. And the home side again did well to block on 90 minutes when Walker set up Hutchinson for the ball to break to Cochrane at the edge of the box.
In added on time, Queens lost McKechnie to injury at the halfway line and their afternoon got worse when Tidser wrapped up the three points with a low shot from the edge of the box that beat Stone to his right into the bottom left-hand corner.
FULL TIME: Kelty Hearts 3 Queens 1