Slump in form continues

QUEEN of the South slipped to seventh in League One following their fourth defeat on the spin in all competitions last Saturday.

They were beaten 2-1 by an on-form Montrose side at Links Park.

The hosts had an early chance but Kieran Freeman’s cross was headed wide by Blair Lyons.

Two minutes later Queens tried their luck at the other end, Liam Smith hit his effort over the bar before Jack Stott’s corner was headed on by Jack Hannah, only for the home side to clear the danger.

Smith then hit the ball on the volley from inside the box but it landed the wrong side of the post. Midway through the half, Stott played a free-kick to the opposite side of the park for Mikey Hewitt but his header was off target.

It had been an even game with neither team getting the upper hand and it remained stalemate at the interval as Keir Bertie’s effort was collected by Queens shotstopper Ross Stewart.

Doonhamers playmaker Brennan Dickenson was introduced from the bench early in the second half as Queens looked to create something.

And he quickly had a chance from the edge of the box which was blocked by home defender Callum Sandilands.

Gable Endies keeper Cammy Gill then made a great save to deny Stott as he looked to give Queens the lead.

By the hour mark the game was opening up. Matty Douglas cleared from Graham Webster and, as Queens broke, the flag was raised for offside against Dickenson.

It looked like the wrong call by the assistant referee and it proved costly for the visitors as Montrose moved up the park and, following a great delivery into the box by Lewis Gibson, Webster sent a powerful shot past Stewart to open the scoring.

The home side had their tails up and pushed forward, Terry Masson hit a right foot shot that was net bound before being cleared.

A second goal for the home side followed within 60 seconds when Blair Lyons’ effort came back off the underside of the bar and Freeman was there to knock the rebound in from close range.

With ten minutes of the 90 left to play Dickenson pulled one back as he fired the ball across the keeper into the bottom corner.

Kai Kennedy then hit a right foot effort from distance that landed on the roof of the net.

In the last minute of regulation time, Hewitt’s cross into the box was poor and allowed the home side to break and they were unlucky not to add a third when Webster hit the woodwork again.

And Kennedy’s late free kick was inches too high as he tried to salvage a point for Queens.

Montrose: Gill, Freeman (Williamson 86), Waddell, Masson, Steeves, Gibson (May 79), Brown (Dillon 93), Bertie, Webster, Sandilands, Lyons (Matheus Machado 79). Subs not used: Clark, Donaldson, McClenents, Millar, Stevenson.