‘We should see it out’

The Doonhamers lost their third game in a row after the B team won 3-2 in a KDM Evolution Trophy match at Palmerston Park.

Queens looked to be cruising, they went in at the break 2-0 up against their opponents – Hearts had yet to earn a point in the league phase of the cup competition.

However, Hearts’ goals in the 73rd, 75th and 81st minute turned the scoreline on its head and the hosts ended up with nothing to show for their efforts.

Murphy said: “It was a crazy game, a mad eight minutes with the mistakes we made.

“One of our most experienced players made a couple of mistakes with the goals, but that’s after he ran into the barriers and got a head knock, whether that has anything to do with his decision making.

“We were really comfortable in a 3-5-2, the formation that we were playing, and I thought the young boys up top (Billy Gray and Freddie O’Donoghue) were really good and lively.

“I’m delighted with Billy Gray and how he played for the majority of the game, because he really tired (late on).”

Murphy added: “It might’ve been my fault for the second half. We brought Brennan Dickenson on and changed the formation slightly, because we wanted to have a look at a player in a different position.

“We lost a bit of our shape there and were a bit too wide and made it easy for a Hearts team that overloads the midfield. But the mistakes we made are criminal. Losing the game from a really comfortable position at 2-0, that’s really really disappointing. “We should be seeing the game out and condensing the space.

“We changed the formation, the personnel and tried something. It didn’t work.”

On a positive note, fans will have been delighted to have seen Brennan Dickenson take to the field. He made his return in a Queens strip following a six-month injury absence.

This Saturday Murphy’s troops travel to Montrose as they bid to bring their losing streak to an end and climb back up the League One table.

Previewing the clash, Murphy said: “We have to recover and we’ve got a big game on Saturday now.

“We’re away from home, Stewart Petrie (the Montrose manager) has got them really well drilled.

“We know we’ll be in for a really tough time. They won tonight (against Stirling).

“We’ve got to make sure we’re ready for the fight, that our character’s there and we stand up to that fight.”