It was back up the road to face Arbroath for the second time in the space of a week. After last weeks Scottish Cup win, manager Peter Murphy stuck with the same starting eleven for the league meeting in front of the TV cameras.
In the midst of storm Darragh, seven days on the conditions were far worse with winds and torrential rain. In the opening five minutes as Aidan McAdams came out to clear Adam Brooks got a touch on the ball but he seemed to get stuck and couldnt turn to have a shot before the keeper recovered to collect the ball.
At the other end of the park, the home side won a free kick, but the visiting wall did its job and blocked the shot from Fraser Taylor.
After some head tennis by Queens Leighton McIntosh played the ball in for Brooks, the striker got his head to it but not enough to cause a problem. Jack Brydon then whipped the ball in from the left but it was too far for Matty Douglas to even connect. And as the hosts broke, the lively Taylor hit a shot but Mikey Hewitt was on hand at the near post to clear before Ross Stewart blocked the second attempt.
With fifteen minutes on the clock, Hewitt played a good ball to Harry Cochrane, who played an even better ball into the path of Brooks, he looked to be fouled at the edge of the box but referee Colin Whyte gave it the other way.
Midway through the half, Hewitt beat a defender with a nice nutmeg to get the ball into the box but neither McIntosh or Brooks were sharp enough. Arbroath then had a couple of chances but Taylor wasted a free kick and Alasdair Spalding fired a shot over from distance.
There wasnt a lot of quality on show but Oscar MacIntyres cross into the box couldve sneaked in at the top corner and Brooks did well but lacked support, the ball did eventually fall to Reece Lyon but he was way off target.
In the closing stages of the first half, Jack Wilkie looked dangerous on the by-line only for Jack Hannah to head clear.
HALF TIME Arbroath 0 Queens 0
Thirty-seven seconds after the restart, David Gold tested Stewart, the keeper couldnt hold the first time but caught it the second. Arbroath then won a couple of corners but they didnt amount to anything.
However, Stewart did make a terrific stop as Taylor shot. And on the hour mark, Cochrane did well defensively before playing the ball up for McIntosh. The forward controlled with a good touch to cut inside but his final shot was blocked.
Five minutes later, Scott Stewart made a great delivery into the box but it was just behind Gavin Reilly. And at the other end, Cochrane hit a right foot shot that didnt look too far away. Lewis ODonnell then did well to play the ball out to MacIntyre, his first time ball into the box was knocked back to McAdams.
We eventually got a breakthrough with seventy-two minutes played thanks to a piece of magic from captain Douglas. Collecting the ball inside his own half, the defender made a run, holding off the challenge of three players to make space for himself before unleashing an unstoppable shot with the outside of his right foot that fizzed past McAdams. Simply a terrific goal.
The joy only lasted four minutes though as Arbroath levelled. Ryan Dow on the left played the ball back for Innes Murray who seconds early had come off the bench to replace Spalding. With his first touch of the ball, he crossed into the box but a lack of communication between Stewart and Hannah saw them both leave it and it beat the keeper to his left hand side.
Stewart redeemed himself two minutes later when he pulled off a terrific save to deny Murray a second.
With six minute of normal time remaining, they did have the ball in the net again but the whistle had already blown and at the other end, Brennan Dickenson put McAdams under pressure as he was well outside his box.
With the game looking like it would end in a draw, Queens blew the point when Benjamin Luissint failed to cut out a pass and goal-scorer Murray turned provider as he delivered a well placed cross to the unmarked Calum Gallagher who steered the ball past Stewart to claim all three points in added on time.
FULL TIME Arbroath 2 Queens 1