Pars 0 Queen of the South 1

TEN-MAN Pars slumped to a third successive defeat as they fell to defeat against Queen of the South this afternoon.

Derek Lyle’s goal in first half stoppage time was enough to separate the teams and Jason Talbot’s 62nd minute dismissal for a lunge on Kyle Jacobs proved too much for the home team to overcome.

Despite a late rally in the final 10 minutes, they simply didn’t create enough in the final third and Allan Johnston’s need for attacking reinforcements will surely have been accelerated after a largely toothless display.

The Pars boss Johnston was without Joe Cardle, who was believed to be ill, and David Hopkirk, who was injured in training yesterday.

He only named six substitutes as Michael Paton replaced Cardle for his first start of the season, while Talbot returned at left back in place of Lewis Martin.

Gavin Skelton’s Doonhamers – who started ex-Pars duo Andy Dowie and Lyle with another, Chris Higgins, on the bench – arrived in West Fife unbeaten in their opening three games and sitting third in the table with seven points.

The home side were keen to make amends for last week’s derby defeat at Raith Rovers but before kick-off, a minute’s applause was held in memory of former Athletic striker Rab Stewart, who sadly passed away earlier this week.

The game had started pretty evenly but Queens almost grabbed the lead in what would have been controversial circumstances in the 11th minute.

Referee Craig Charleston awarded a free-kick to Grant Anderson at the edge of the box – despite appearing to jump over the challenge of Lee Ashcroft – and Lyle curled an excellent effort off the inside of David Hutton’s far post, before the ball bounced across the line and hit the inside of the other, allowing the Pars to desperately boot clear.

Neither team created much in what was a lacklustre opening period, and Kallum Higginbotham’s 27th minute free-kick that ended up amongst the visiting fans in the East Stand was about as close as Athletic came in the opening half an hour.

Dowie soon headed over from a Jamie Hamill corner in what was a decent chance for the Doonhamers but they let Dunfermline off the hook significantly in the 35th minute.

Careless play in midfield by Rhys McCabe saw him lose possession and the dangerous Stephen Dobbie was onto it in a flash, racing into the box but his effort across goal thankfully landed the wrong side of the target.

Athletic, pushed on by an edgy crowd, tried to respond and Michael Moffat had their first shot on target moments later, but his side-footer from Gavin Reilly’s centre was weak and easily clutched by Queens keeper Lee Robinson.

Higginbotham then fizzed one not too far off target from the left edge of the box as the home side began to show a bit more threat than they had for most of the opening period.

That was to be the Englishman’s final act of the afternoon as he was replaced at the break by Paul McMullan but Queens were soon back on the offensive; Dobbie shooting wide after the Pars struggled to clear a corner.

The hosts showed in spells what they are capable of and, in the 54th minute, McCabe’s sweetly struck shot with the outside of his boot was not too far away after Moffat neatly nodded Paton’s cross-field pass into his path at the edge of the box.

But, with just over an hour played, an already difficult task was made even harder when the Pars were reduced to 10 men.

Talbot, after giving the ball cheaply in attempting to start an attack, lunged in recklessly on Jacobs and referee Charleston had little alternative than to show the experienced defender a red card.

Johnston, options on the bench already limited, replaced Moffat with defender Lewis Martin, pushing McMullan and Paton behind the now sole frontman Reilly.

Dunfermline were seeing more of the ball in the opposition half but were finding it difficult to work the goalkeeper, while Ashcroft did well to tackle Lyndon Dykes after it looked like he had evaded the centre back’s initial attentions inside the area.

When the Pars did break, all too often they did not have sufficient bodies forward to find the killer pass, but the Doonhamers were extremely well-drilled and got back in numbers to close out any space in the final third.

Their final delivery was all too often not up to scratch either which was the opposite of Queens, whose set-piece balls particularly were causing anxiousness inside the Pars box.

However, Paton did send in a good ball in the final minutes after good play between McMullan and Reilly saw the latter win a foul near the right-hand corner flag.

But his ball to the far post was just a touch too long for Ben Richards-Everton, who was always stretching to meet it as his header went over the top.

They went even closer soon after when Andy Geggan’s shot was palmed down by Robinson, only forSpence sto prod it towards goal. Queens desperately hacked it clear as it trundled towards the line but loud appeals for a penalty when Spence went down and appeared to be brought down, were ignored by Charleston.

As the clock ticked into added time, Paton sent in another good free-kick that was met again by Richards-Everton, but he could only head straight at Robinson.

A corner from Paton in the fifth minute of added time saw the Pars fans howl again for a penalty after Geggan appeared to be felled, but there was no decision forthcoming and they ran out of time as Queens took home the points.

Pars: Hutton, Williamson, Ashcroft, Richards-Everton, Talbot, Paton, Geggan, McCabe, Higginbotham, Moffat, Reilly.

Subs: Martin, Fordyce, McMullan, Spence, Spark, Gill.

Red card: Talbot (62).

Booked: Ashcroft (74).

Queen of the South: Robinson, Hamill, Marshall, Dowie, Brownlie, Anderson, Millar, Lyle, Dobbie, Jacobs, Dykes.

Subs: Higgins, Hilson, Rigg, Pickard, Moxon, Tapping, Thomson.

Goal: Lyle (45) Booked: Marshall (75), Dowie (87).

Referee: Craig Charleston.

Attendance: 3,973.