A double from Simon Murray handed Queen’s Park a narrow 2-1 win over a spirited Cove Rangers side at Ochilview.
Murray found the net either side of half-time to put Queen’s 2-0 in front only for substitute Leighton McIntosh to pull one back.
Jim McIntyre’s side were much improved from a week, retaining and moving the ball better, but were undone by a penalty call and a defensive mistake.
It is now four defeats on the bounce for Cove, who return to the Balmoral Stadium for back-to-back home games against Hamilton Accies and Dundee.
Cove were without Scott Ross and captain Mitch Megginson, after both went off injured in the defeat to Ayr United, but Mark Reynolds was passed fit to start. Morgyn Neill, Luis Longstaff and Gerry McDonagh came in with Jamie Masson dropping out.
The two sides met on four occasions in League One last season, with Queen’s winning once and the rest ending in draws.
The Spiders started the brightest, putting Cove under pressure early and winger Dom Thomas forced Kyle Gourlay into an early save.
Cove’s first chance of the game came courtesy of positive work by Cieran Dunne, playing further forward down the left, as he stood the ball up to the back post. It was met by the head of stand-in skipper Fraser Fyvie but he could only find the grasp of goalkeeper Calum Ferrie.
The visitors were proving a threat from set-pieces, with Neill in particular going close. He had one header deflected over and a second cleared off the line by Murray, as Cove pushed for an opener.
But there was a period of Queen’s pressure that followed which Cove somehow managed to weather. Grant Savoury tested Gourlay, Thomas’ in-swinging cross came back off the post and Scott Williamson was denied by the Cove goalkeeper.
Savoury was next to try his luck, with Murray clipping the ball to the near post and the ex-Peterhead winger steered a header just wide of the post.
Willie Collum, who came under fire for his performance in the game between Hibernian and Rangers, found himself at the centre of attention again before the break. Scott Williamson drifted in from the right and his cross was kicked into the arm of Connor Scully from close-range, with Collum pointing to the spot.
Scully protested furiously to the referee, needing to be restrained by Fyvie, before Murray squeezed the penalty in the corner past Gourlay.
The game had been played at a ferocious tempo and it slowed little in the second half, with both Murray and Charlie Gilmour having shots over from the edge of the box.
Cove had replaced the ineffectual McDonagh at half-time with McIntosh and Longstaff lasted just 12 minutes longer, with Robbie Leitch taking his place.
But Queen’s doubled their lead on 64 minutes, with Fyvie’s pass into Reynolds miscontrolled by the centre-back and Murray nipping in to find the bottom corner.
McIntosh dragged Cove back into the game almost immediately, collecting a clever ball from Iain Vigurs and sending a finish inside the far post.
The next goal now would be decisive, with Gourlay out quickly to deny Jack Thomson and the stopper getting a vital hand out to deny Johnny Kenny.
Fyvie’s solo run nearly created an opening for the away side but he could only direct his attempt straight at Ferrie.
Cove pressed for a leveller, with Leitch skewing over from a Masson corner, but they were unable to stage any late heroics.
QUEEN’S PARK (4-4-2) – Ferrie 6; Davidson 7, Eze 6, Kilday 6, Robson 6, Savoury 7, Boateng 6, Thomson 6 (Bannon 90), Thomas 7, Murray 8 (McPake 82), Williamson 6 (Kenny 73). Subs not used – Heraghty, Naismith, Brown, Longridge, Moore, Jarrett.
COVE RANGERS – (4-1-4-1) – Gourlay 7; Logan 6, Neill 7, Reynolds 5, Scully 6, Gilmour 6, Longstaff 5 (Leitch 57), Fyvie 6, Vigurs 6, Dunne 7 (Masson 76), McDonagh 5 (McIntosh 46). Subs not used – McKenzie, Thomas.
Referee – Willie Collum 5.
Attendance – 471.
Man of the match – Simon Murray.
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