After the long trip to the Highlands on Tuesday Queens made the shorter journey to face Hamilton Accies the side knocked off the table by Ross County after their win over us in midweek. With players still out injured manager Nicky Clark stuck with the same starting eleven as he looked for a reaction to a disappointing defeat in Dingwall.
Unbeaten Accies won an early corner but as they played it in it was knocked over from close range.
Queens fought back and as they won a free-kick, Zander Mackenzie crossed from the right to Shaun Want who was on target with his header but Dean Lyness collected easily.
The deadlock was broken five minutes later when Liam Smith picked up the ball just inside the home sides half and raced through the middle before firing a right foot shot past the keeper to give Queens the lead after twelve minutes.
Accies forced a couple of corners but Ben Johnstone and Ruari Ellis cleared. As Queens hit on the counter through Smith, he played it out to Cole Coughlin on the right side of the area but his right foot shot was wide of the post.
Queens attacked again and as Ellis chipped it over the top he hit it with too much power.
Twenty minutes in Andy Ryan intercepted the ball 40-yards out and shot from distance but Deniz Mehmet watched it all the way and collected.
Midway through the half Queens failed to cut out a cross from Stephen Hendrie on the left and Mehmet managed to punch it clear but only as far as Ryan who headed home the equaliser.
Two minutes later Dom Thomas crossed from the right and Ryan managed to get his head to it but Mehmet made a terrific save.
The home side were now starting to get on top and Kyle MacDonald headed wide at the back-post. just before the half hour mark, Thomas cut inside from the right to the edge of the area and fired a powerful shot towards the top corner but he couldn’t get enough curl on it and it flew wide.
The game turned minutes later when Stuart McKinstry got the better of Goldie and cut it back to the unmarked Ryan outside the box and he smashed a left foot shot past Mehmet at his near post. Two minutes later a slack clearance fell to Aaron Comrie at the edge of the box but he fired well over.
As Queens tried to find a second, Goldie took a quick throw-in and Connor Young played the ball across goal but it was behind Coughlin. It was a half chance for the visitors that they didn’t take and with four minutes of the first half remaining the fell further behind when MacDonald missed the ball at the front post but Ryan was again left on his own and he slid in to steer the ball past Mehmet for his and Accies third.
The hosts kept up the pressure and MacDonald aimed for the top corner but his effort was wide.
On the stroke of half-time, Niall Rogerson did well to get the ball into the box where he found Coughlin who controlled and opened up space to have the shot but his effort was blocked.
HALF TIME: Hamilton Accies 3 Queens 1
As the second half got underway Thomas fired a low drive into the box but Mehmet got down to collect. Two minutes later Coughlin hit a shot from 20-yards towards an empty net but his right foot effort crashed off the bar.
Back at the other end, as the home side played in a corner It was cleared but MacDonald caught it and forced Mehmet to get down low collect at the base of the post.
Queens were battling but lacked the real threat in the final third, Coughlin did lay a good ball back to Young and he really needed to shoot first time but delayed and Accies got back to cover. Sixty-seconds later, Mehmet was again called into action when he blocked with his feet to cut out a cross from Thomas.
The home side continued to press and McKinstry played the ball across goal but it was out of reach of Ryan. Midway through the second half, Taylor Charters played a free-kick in for Rogerson at the back-post but it was headed clear before he could get his head on the end of it.
The visitors were living dangerously at the back and Comrie crossed but again Ryan in front of goal couldn’t get on the end of it. They did however, find the net a minute later when Thomas floated in a corner and Tony Gallacher headed home at the front post.
As the game played out, Mehmet collected when Aidan McGinlay crossed and his counterpart in the home goal did the same as Goldie delivered from the right and Coughlin headed towards goal.
With five minutes remaining, Lyness came out to collect at the feet of Coughlin.
FULL TIME: Hamilton Accies 4 Queens 1
Teams:
Hamilton Accies: Lyness, Comrie, Gallacher, Blues, Thomas (Crookston 69), MacDonald, Smutek, Bannigan (McGinlay 69), McKinstry (Eadie 86), Ryan (Morgan 86) & Hendrie (Owens 73). Subs not used: Lane & Sheils.
Queens: Mehmet, Goldie, Charters, Smith, MacKenzie, Young (Dair 86), Want, Johnstone (Davis 63), Rogerson, Coughlin & Ellis. Subs not used: Petry, McQueen, Gray, Kelly, Morton & McColm.
Ref: Abbie Hendry
Crowd: 885