Queens continued their run of home games as they welcomed Cove Rangers to Palmerston.  With one point separating the sides at the bottom of league one it was an important fixture for both teams.  After a confidence boosting victory over Rangers in the Challenge Cup last weekend, manager Nicky Clark made only one change to the side with Caleb Goldie returning from injury, Aaron Davis dropped to the bench.

It was the visitors who got the game underway and within the opening minute could’ve been ahead. Queens keeper Deniz Mehmet was caught as he threw the ball down to kick it up the park and Jordan White nipped in to take it away from him.  Mehmet reacted and blocked on the edge of the area but the ball spun to Chris Maguire and he chipped it towards the empty net but fortunately for Queens, it landed the wrong side of the upright.

The shaky start by the home side continued and three minutes later, Joseph Teasdale had a chance to shoot but he laid it back to the edge of the area instead and Niall Rogerson blocked. And within minutes Edimond Oppong rounded Mehmet again but Shaun Want got back to cover. 

Cove continued to push forward and Teasdale got away down the left but Chris McQueen got across to knock the ball out for a throw-in.  They soon won a corner and Jospeh Chalmers played it short to Oppong who in turn found Maguire who saw his effort blocked.

It had been one way in the opening ten minutes but as Queens made an attempt to get forward, Taylor Charters’ cross was knocked back to Goldie who played it back in but Robbie Mutch collected. With twelve minutes played, Clark opened the scoring.  Goldie’s throw found Zander Mackenzie at the near side of the box and as he laid it off for the Gaffer, his right foot attempt hit off the defender but as the ball fell for him again, he fired a left foot shot down the middle past the keeper.

Cove had been on top and the goal came against the run of play and Cove quickly restored the upper hand.  A mistake in the middle of the park allowed White to use his long legs to get away to play a low ball across goal, he was under pressure from McQueen and the delivery trundled past with Teasdale in space waiting.   With quarter of an hour gone, Cove had had enough chances to be well ahead but found themselves behind, as Chalmers floated in a free-kick from the right wing, Want headed out for a corner.

The visitors had been unable to make their pressure count and against the run of play again, Queens doubled their lead.  A long ball forward by Rogerson was headed on by Jamie Mercer and Connor Young nipped in to take the ball forward before he fired a left foot shot under the keeper.

Midway through the half, Oppong collected a pass from White and cut inside but his shot was too high.

Half an hour in, Queens played some good passing football with Mackenzie, Young, Liam Smith and Clark all involved as they worked their way towards the Cove box but the end product didn’t match.

A minute later, McQueen made a mistake and Max Barry headed for goal but the defender manged to recover and got back to help clear. In the closing stages of the first half, White had another chance for Cove but he curled his shot wide instead of into the top corner.

On the stroke of half time, Smith looked to find a way into the box but he was crowded out.

HALF TIME: Queens 2 Cove Rangers 0

Six minutes after the restart, Goldie did well at the by-line to get it across but Clark couldn’t make it count. Jack Stott then made a good run and found Charters but Taylor’s shot could’ve done with a bit more power as Mutch collected.

At the other end Mehmet punched clear and Smith made a break he played a good pass to Young but he was well offside. 

Queens had made a better start to the second half but ten minutes in it was Cove who scored to pull one back.  As Goldie and Stott collided in the middle of the park, the visitors moved the ball forward and as it made its way out to Oppong, he crossed from the right and the unmarked Maguire was at the opposite side of the box to volley home from around six-yards.

Just after the hour mark Queens were living on the edge again when Mehmet came out to the edge of the box and missed allowing White in but McQueen managed to cover and the striker turned the ball just the wrong side of the post.

Queens survived and had a few chances of their own as the game moved back up the field.  Mackenzie played in a free-kick that was taken down by Clark, it wasn’t the smoothest take but he managed to get it out to Rogerson. His shot was blocked and knocked out for a corner.  Smith played it in, it wasn’t the best delivery but Barry cleared for another corner, this time as it came back in Arron Darge got his head on the end of it ahead of Clark for yet another corner.  But the pressure came to an end as Mackenzie was too strong with his delivery.

Unable to make use of the set-pieces, Queens paid the price when Paul Hartley’s side levelled on 67 minutes.  Rogerson’s header in the middle of the park was wayward and as Destiny Oladipo held of McQueen, he rattled a shot of the post. It wasn’t cleared and with it still in play, White got there ahead of Want to force the ball past Mehmet.

Four minutes later, Stott who had just returned from injury went off holding his hamstring and was replaced by Coughlin. And within two minutes the Kilmarnock loanee had one cleared off the line by Darge. And as Cove broke, Oladipo fired the ball across goal and a corner was awarded. Chalmers played it in and as it bounced off a couple of defenders, Oladipo managed to stab the ball over the line to give the north east side the lead.

Having been two goals up, albeit against the run of play, Queens now found themselves trailing but they responded well and Smith created a chance for Mackenzie who hit a right foot shot off the post. 

Sixty seconds later, Mackenzie was again involved as Queens found an equaliser.  As Goldie laid the ball off into the path of the midfielder, he lifted the ball over the top into centre of the box, where Coughlin peeled off his markers to catch it with his right boot to volley the ball into the net.

The rollercoaster game continued and three minutes later, with ten minutes of the game left, Mackenzie did well in the middle before finding Coughlin on the wing with a pass, his cross into the box was exceptional and was met perfectly by Young at the back post as headed home his second, a fourth for Queens to regain the lead.

As Cove looked to hit back, Oladipo took a good touch before finishing well but the whistle had already blown for offside.

The game was still on an edge and as Queens scrambled to clear a corner, Oladipo and White both had chances.  And in added on time, Oladipo was lucky to escape a booking for simulation as he threw himself down inside the box hoping for a penalty.

It was certainly a crazy afternoon but fortunately it was Queens who came out on top and moved themselves off the bottom of the table.

FULL TIME: Queens 4 Cove Rangers 3

Teams:

Queens: Mehmet, Goldie, Charters, Stott (Coughlin 72), McQueen, Smith, Mackenzie, Young (Ellis 83), Clark (Hutton 63), Want & Rogerson. Subs not used: Petry, Dair, Davis, Luissint, Gray & McColm.

Cove Rangers: Mutch, Bisland, Ross (Parker 80), Mercer, Barry, Chalmers, Darge, Teasdale (Harrington 57), Oppong (Oladipo 61), White & Maguire.  Subs not used: Demus, Francis-Burrell, Keir & Fraser.

Ref: Lloyd Wilson

Crowd: 802