Neighbours Annan were the visitors for our final game of 2024 and Manager, Peter Murphy made two changes to the starting eleven from Kelty last week. Benjamin Luissint and Jack Brydon were given the nod ahead of Harry Cochrane and Oscar MacIntyre who both dropped to the bench.
In front of a crowd just short of 3000 Josh Dixon played the ball across the face of goal for the visitors but there was no one on hand to take advantage and the ball went out for a goal kick. At the other end with quarter of an hour played, Adam Brooks crossed from the right, Brennan Dickenson got his head on the end of it, but the ball was turn away for a corner.
The deadline was broken after seventeen minutes when the hosts took the lead with a terrific goal. Brooks showed great skill as he held on to the ball until he opened up space for himself and then curled a right foot shot into the top corner.
Midway through the half, the ball fell to Mikey Hewitt outside the box, but his left foot show was well over.
With just over half an hour gone, Dickenson played a brilliant cross field pass to Kyle Doherty. On the left he made his way to the edge of the box and aimed for the same top corner as Brooks, but he couldnt get enough curl or dip on it, and it flew the wrong side of the target.
Ten minutes before the break, Lewis ODonnells corner was knocked back into the path of the set-piece taker but as he tried to fire it back across goal, he hit it with too much power and the danger receded.
As Annan came more into the game, Jack Hannah made a well-timed challenge to stop Luca Ross. The ball was collected by manager, Wullie Gibson who hit a left foot shot from just outside the box that skived the top of the crossbar.
Gibson then hit a free kick well over after Luissint had made a needless challenge 20-yards out. With Annan on the ascendancy Ross Stewart made a stop from Paul Smith, the keeper couldnt hold it and with players ready to pounce, Hannah cleared.
On the stroke of half-time, Doherty chipped the ball into the box looking for Dickenson, but he was just a toenail away from making the connection.
HALF TIME Queens 1 Annan 0
Into the second half, it was the Galabank side who started the way theyd finished the first half and within the opening five minutes, Aidan Smith made a claim for a penalty, but his protests were waved away.
As the game moved to the other end, Dickenson swung the ball into the box from the wing, but he had no one up in support.
And just a minute later, as the ball came into the box Brydon tried to knock it round the near post but almost knocked it into his own net. The defender managed to retrieve it before it crossed the line and hooked it away.
Smith tried a shot from 20 -yards but was well over before on the hour mark, Doherty won a corner that Hannah headed onto the roof of the net.
Annan were pushing hard without creating too many clear-cut chances, but Stewart did have to collect a Josh Todd cross and with a goal looking likely they were given a clear-cut chance with three minutes of the game remaining when substitute Fraser Bryden raised his arms in the box and referee Craig Napier had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Gibson converted the penalty to pull his side level. From there on Hannah made another well-timed tackle on Ross as he went to pull the trigger, it wouldnt have counted had he finished as the flag was up for offside.
And with the final chance of the game, MacIntyre made a great run from his own half but as he charged down the wing and crossed into the box, Rhys Breen cleared.
FULL TIME Queens 1 Annan 1