Key trio doubts

THREE key players are doubts for Queen of the South’s home match with Kelty Hearts this weekend. Skipper Matty Douglas, attacker Brennan Dickenson and midfield maestro Reece Lyon are the trio who could miss out on Saturday. Dickenson injured his calf and had to limp off during last weekend’s disappointing 2-0 loss to Stenhousemuir, which will concern the Palmy faithful due to the Englishman’s torrid time with injuries during his Queens spell. Lyon also fell awkwardly during the contest and despite trying to battle through, he also hobbled off. The ex-Annan midfielder was named to start for the Doonhamers in their Challenge Cup loss at Raith Rovers on Tuesday night but he was forced to take a back seat after feeling something in the warm up. And centre back Douglas has been carrying a knock and wasn’t risked for the Challenge Cup tie. But Queens no2 Colin McMenamin remains positive that the trio – or at least some of them – could feature against League One basement boys Kelty. He said: “We were light before the Raith match and with Reece having to pull out during the warm up it didn’t help. “Brennan and Matty were left out as they are carrying knocks and we couldn’t risk them. “Hopefully we’ll have them back for the weekend and bring in a couple more in this window.” McMenamin was quick to praise the team for their showing against the Championship outfit during the week. Of course, the squad were downcast with being knocked out of the Challenge Cup but the reaction to the Stenhousemuir loss – where Queens simply didn’t turn up – was pleasing. McMenamin added: “We’re gutted because we wanted to get through into the next round. “I thought we deserved at least a draw to take it to penalty kicks. I thought we were excellent throughout and we conceded a penalty, which Ross Stewart has been unlucky with. “We created chances with Kurtis Guthrie hitting the post and their keeper made an excellent save to deny Mikey Hewitt. We were in their box several times and penned them in. But I’m gutted for the boys as I feel after a poor showing on Saturday against Stenhousemuir we had a reaction. “We worked our socks off but we just couldn’t get the result. There’s a lot to be positive about though.” Yes, Queens have suffered back-to-back defeats and missed the opportunity to go top of League One, but they can get back on the horse with a victory against Kelty. However, McMenamin has warned his Palmy troops to be wary of the Fifers who will be scrapping for their lives. He added: “It’s something to build on for Saturday against Kelty. It’s a huge game but we’re playing well, we’re still on a good run. We hope last week was a blip and we’ll get back on track. Hopefully we’ll have a couple of players back on Saturday. “Kelty are hard to break down and, like every other side in League One, are good. Every game is tough. Kelty have given us problems in the past but at Palmerston we’re confident to play against anybody. “If we can get Kai Kennedy and Liam Smith on the ball and one-on-one with their defenders, then they are going to cause problems. We do need to find a way to get Kurtis more involved in the game. He’s taking up great positions and the centre backs are terrified of him. We need to get his confidence up again. “Kelty have picked up recently with a couple of good performances. And they need that because they are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the division.”