Guthrie and Smith on target in away day win

KURTIS Guthrie and Liam Smith found the net for Queen of the South as Peter Murphy’s side beat Alloa 2-0 at the Indodrill Stadium last weekend.

In tricky conditions, the visitors made a quick start to this League One clash.

Wasps defender Scott Taggart picked up a booking within three minutes of kick off.

Kai Kennedy curled the resulting free kick towards goal but his effort came back off the inside of the post and took a bounce off the back of Guthrie and out to safety.

Queens were soon on the attack again and they took the lead on 12 minutes. Taylor Charters played the ball across the box from the left to the unmarked Guthrie, his close-range effort was well saved by Liam McFarlane but the big striker fired home the rebound to put his side ahead.

Ross Stewart had little to do but he pulled off a brilliant save when he stretched to turn Callum Burnside’s cheeky right footed effort from the corner of the box away from the top corner.

Before the break Benji Luissint cleared the crossbar with a shot, while Jack Stott sliced the ball wide of the post with his right foot.

Looking to get back into the game, Alloa started the second half strongly. They had a good ten minute spell when Luke Rankin, Kurtis Roberts and Stewart all tried to make a breakthrough. However, Queens defended well.

As the Doonhamers started to regain a bit of control, Kennedy played the ball across but Brennan Dickenson could not connect.

As the ball came back out, Stott kept his shot low but the keeper got his body behind it.

Charters was getting forward much more in the game and as he picked out Dickenson to his right, the ball was fired over. Four minutes later, Kennedy was out on the right but he too cleared the bar as his effort was inches over.

As Guthrie tired, Smith came off the bench and within three minutes he had extended the lead for his side.

Dickenson, standing just outside the box, laid the ball off perfectly for the winger who was a yard inside the area.

And he got the better of Devine to take himself to the corner of the six-yard box before lifting the ball over McFarlane from a tight angle to find the bottom corner.

It was Queens who came closest to scoring again in the closing stages when Kennedy hit a curling shot from the edge of the box that forced a great save from McFarlane.