Match Report

Match Report by Scott Gallacher

Stenhousemuir were held to a 1-1 draw by Queen of the South in the first leg of the William Hill Championship Play-Off Semi-Final at Palmerston Park.

The Warriors took the lead through captain Gregor Buchanan, who fired home from the edge of the box after a Stenhousemuir corner had only been partially cleared.

However, a rapid Queen of the South counter-attack in the 92nd minute saw Reece Lyon fire home an equaliser at the death.

Gary Naysmith made three changes to the side that defeated Montrose at Links Park last weekend, with Dale Carrick, Kelsey Ewen and Gregor Buchanan coming into the starting XI in place of Ross Meechan, Ross Taylor and Scott McGill.

Queen of the South had two early chances through Matty Douglas. His first effort saw a header flash over the Stenhousemuir crossbar, before another headed attempt drifted over the target a few minutes later.

Euan O’Reilly then produced a tremendous darting run down the left flank towards the Queens penalty area, but was dispossessed by the recovering defence before he could get a clean shot away.

Liam Smith was next to threaten down the opposite wing, squaring the ball to Kai Kennedy, whose effort was blocked well by Darren Jamieson.

The resulting corner then found Brennan Dickenson, who had another attempt at goal, but Jamieson was once again equal to it.

A headed effort from Nicky Clark was next to threaten the Warriors goal, although it was gathered comfortably by Jamieson.

A quickly taken Stenhousemuir free-kick allowed Olly Whyte to race through on goal, but similarly to O’Reilly’s earlier chance, he was dispossessed at the last moment by Matty Douglas.

Two minutes before the break, the skipper Gregor Buchanan broke the deadlock. A Stenhousemuir corner was headed away by the Queens defence, only for the ball to fall kindly to Buchanan, who volleyed towards goal, with his effort taking a deflection before eventually crossing the line.

Half-Time: Queen of the South 0-1 Stenhousemuir

A tremendous save from Darren Jamieson in the 57th minute denied what looked to be a certain equaliser for the Doonhamers.

The Stenhousemuir goalkeeper was kept busy throughout the second half, producing another superb close-range stop to preserve the Warriors lead.

Substitute Ross Taylor then tried his luck directly from a free-kick on the left-hand side, with his effort appearing destined for the top corner before Ross Stewart managed to get a hand to it.

Nicky Clark had another opportunity to level the scores for Queens, but could only drag his effort wide of the far post.

A tremendous solo run from Ross Taylor then saw the forward drive into the final third before cutting inside, although his eventual effort drifted narrowly wide of the target.

A rapid counter-attack from the hosts in stoppage time eventually brought the equaliser they had been searching for, as Reece Lyon’s powerful strike found the back of the net in the 92nd minute.

The draw means both sides head into Saturday’s second leg at Ochilview Park level, with a place in the William Hill Championship Play-Off Final still up for grabs.

Full-Time: Queen of the South 1-1 Stenhousemuir

Match Preview

Match Preview by Scott Gallacher

Stenhousemuir travel to Palmerston Park on Tuesday evening for the first leg of the William Hill Championship Play-Off Semi-Final, as they take on Queen of the South in Dumfries.

Gary Naysmith’s side come into the tie on the back of a strong 2-0 victory over Montrose at Links Park on the final day of the regular season.

Mikey Anderson opened the scoring for the Warriors, before Olly Whyte doubled the advantage, reacting quickest after Montrose failed to clear their lines and converting at the third attempt.

Despite taking all three points, the title ultimately slipped away from Stenhousemuir, as results elsewhere confirmed that top spot would go to Inverness Caledonian Thistle on the final day.

Attention now turns fully to the play-offs, with the Warriors aiming to push for promotion.

Queen of the South also arrive in strong form following an emphatic 4-1 victory over Alloa Athletic.

Brennan Dickenson gave the hosts the lead before Kalvin Orsi equalised just before the interval. However, a dominant finish to the match saw Nicky Clark net twice, alongside a late strike from Liam Smith, securing all three points.

That result saw Queen of the South leapfrog Alloa Athletic into third place, setting up this semi-final clash with the Warriors.

The last meeting between the sides came in March at Palmerston Park, where the points were shared in a 1-1 draw.

Nicky Jamieson handed Stenhousemuir the lead in the first half, before Kurtis Guthrie equalised after the break, forcing the shares to be spoiled on the afternoon.

With everything to play for across the two legs, Tuesday’s encounter represents the first step in what Stenny will be hoping will be a successful route to promotion.