LIVELY QUEEN’S RUE THEIR MISTAKES
Boss highlights ‘silly mistakes at key moments’
Queen’s Park ............ 1 Ayr United ................. 4
Queen’s Park manager Gus MacPherson slammed the individual errors which have seen his side sink to the bottom of the League One table.
Ayr United were the latest to capitalise on the Spiders’ mistakes in their 4-1 victory at Hampden Park.
Although Queen’s created plenty of chances throughout, the returning skipper Sean Burns’ misplaced pass led to Ayr’s second goal just before the break.
And Craig McGuffie’s double inside the last ten minutes killed off any chance of a fightback.
MacPherson said: “If you make mistakes like we did, then it makes for a tough afternoon. Just individual, silly mistakes at key moments have cost us this season.
“Even the early goal we lost can certainly be defended better and is avoidable, but the second one, the timing and the nature of it was difficult to accept.
“But that’s what happens at this level. If you make those type of mistakes you will be punished and we were.”
It was a wild start to the game for Queen’s who had new development loan signings Jamie Gullan, from Hibernian, and Aidan Keena of Hearts on their bench. Ayr took the lead in five minutes with a simple finish. Declan McDaid burst past Scott Gibson on the right, crossed low from the byeline, and Craig Moore was unmarked inside the six-yard box to sidefoot past Michael Whyte. But before the game could restart Spiders’ lost Kevin Green,who was injured in the build up and clearly in a lot of pain from a groin injury. He was replaced by Ciaran Summers It was hardly the ideal start for Queen’s, but they nearly equalised in eight minutes. The dogged Billy Mortimer won a free-kick on the right byeline, David Galt whipped it over with pace, and Cummins headed over the bar unmarked six yards out. Galt was booked for alleged simulation in 14 minutes but there was no mistaking the foul on him that almost led to the equaliser two minutes later. The forward sent over the free kick from wide left and it was hooked off the line. They came close again on 27 minutes. Ruddy under pressure had hooked away a Galt cross and then knocked Luke Donnelly’s attempt from the rebound for a corner. Galt quickly exchanged passes at the corner with Donnelly and his precise cross was headed narrowly wide by Burns.
But Queen’s shot themselves in the foot. Burns played a terrible pass towards his own box from the left and Laurence Shankland pounced to set up an easy tap-in for Alan Forrest.
The home side continued to threaten after half-time as Robbie Leitch sent one effort from Mortimer over before forcing Ruddy into a save on 71 minutes.
Forrest was booked for a bodycheck on Galt before being replaced by McGuffie, who took just six minutes to put Ayr 3-0 up. He struck a fine shot from outside the box, after Shankland got a lucky break and Kerr executed a neat backheel. Shankland then missed a sitter from close range before McGuffie netted his second with a curling shot from inside the box.
Queen’s got their consolation just before the final whistle as Galt corner’s corner found the head of Cummins.