Hughes: No fear is the trick

John Hughes urged his Raith men to play with freedom as they seek the missing “magic” needed to conjure an escape from the relegation battle.

On-loan Rangers kid Ryan Hardie fired in an early opener for the Stark’s Park side but they were pegged back by a stunning free- kick from Queens’ Stephen Dobbie.

Rovers were angered by referee Colin Steven’s decision to award the goal at the time but Hughes later conceded that the ball did cross the line before spinning back out.

The game then descended into a war of attrition.

The draw kept Queens three points above Rovers, who are now just two points above Ayr in the relegation play-off spot.

But Hughes is desperate for his players not to balk at the challenge as they bid to stay above Dumbarton, Ayr and St Mirren below.

He said: “To win at home we have to be better than that.

“It’s going to be like that between now and the end of the season, but that’s where somebody has to step up with a wee bit of magic – a quality pass or what they did with the free-kick, or what Hardie did – that wee bit of quality.

“Pressure? You have to be inspired by the occasion and not be a shrinking violet.”

In the 10th minute, Hardie sidestepped a defender and calmly rol led a superb finish under Lee Robinson.

But 14 minutes later Dobbie curled in a brilliant free-kick from 25 yards.

After a fifth match without a win, Queens boss Gary Naysmith said: “Dobbs has hit a fantastic free-kick.

“We didn’t deserve to win but we didn’t deserve to lose.”