Queens continued their pre-season preparations with a 2-1 win at Methil last night. We began with 8 signed players in the starting line up along with three Trialists, a goalkeeper a central midfielder and a wide left player. The early part of the match saw Queens come out flying with quick passing and movement leaving their opponents chasing shadows for a while. It was no surprise when Stephen Dobbie eventually hustled a mistake out of a defender and casually placed the ball into the bottom right corner from about 6 yards out, leaving goalkeeper Brett Long with no chance.
The lead was doubled soon after when an excellent searching cross from the left by Trialist no 7 found Scott Mercer in acres of space but out at the byeline six yards from goal. Remarkably he stretched out a leg and somehow diverted the ball up and over the advancing goalkeeper across the face of goal where it bounced and spun sideways into the net!
Queens continued to dominate the first half and should probably have extended their lead on a number of occasions, not least when Dobbie sent Oliver clear on goal but Long managed to push the striker`s shot wide for a corner.
The second half was a different story, although Long made another fine save to deny Dobbie our third goal early in the half. East Fife should have pulled a goal back when Holt`s intercepted crossfield pass left a striker in on goal but the Trialist goalkeeper pulled off a fine stop. The home side were by now giving as good as they got as the Queens players tired a bit. On the hour mark Anton Dowds pulled a goal back, turning quickly inside the penalty area to fire a shot beyond the reach of the goalkeeper.
Ten minutes later Allan Johnston made wholesale changes as nine substitutes came on. Only the goalkeeper and Connor Murray remained on the pitch. The replacements included apprentices Ross Irving, Danny Irving and Ewan Gourlay, Callum Semple, Jack Hamilton and 4 more Trialists. There was no further scoring though and indeed little in the way of goalmouth action in the last 20 minutes.