Annan Athletic 1 Queen’s Park 4

The Spiders made six changes to the line-up that saw off Hamilton Academical last weekend for their first game against the Black and Golds since 2021 with Sean Welsh skippering the side.

Dane Murray was on Scotland under-21 duty, Cameron Kerr and Dom Thomas missed out all together with Calum Ferrie, Roddy MacGregor and Jack Turner moving to the bench where they were joined by new recruit Seb Drozd.

The visitors started the game with Rocco Hickey-Fugaccia on the right wing in what was his first start and Ryan Duncan on the left. It was Duncan that was first to threaten as he charged down the left and sent over a wicked cross that flashed across the Annan goalmouth but found no takers.

A minute later it looked like Liam McLeish was given a glimpse of goal however Jamie Smith darted from his line to smother.

Louis Longridge was penalised for a trip on Aidan Smith on six minutes with the hosts creating danger from the dead ball only for an offside flag to end their hopes of an opener.

Henry Fieldson and Duncan combined to win the game’s first corner on 10 minutes with Hickey-Fugaccia’s delivery nodded behind for a second corner.

This time Hickey-Fugaccia’s cross was close to generating a goal as Welsh met the ball with a header from six yards that just cleared the bar.

Shortly afterwards Duncan looked set to grab his first goal for the club when McLeish rolled a pass from right to left to the on-loan Aberdeen player 10 yards out however Smith spread himself well to save.

A goal arrived on 16 minutes when Fieldson moved down the left and fed a precise pass through the Galabankies defence for McLEISH who took a touch to compose himself and then found the far corner with a superb finish.

Midway through the opening half McLeish did well in his own box as he headed clear a dangerous looking Josh Todd cross and that allowed Queen’s to counter-attack through Duncan who won a corner.

Hickey-Fugaccia’s delivery again created danger however the home defence survived although a second goal arrived on 28 minutes, and it was a first for DUNCAN, much to the delight of the noisy Black and White fans behind the goal.

McLeish was the architect this time with a fine right to left cross-field pass that Duncan brought under control before firing back low into the far corner from 16 yards.

Queen’s had a real scare on 31 minutes when Smith wriggled clear and sent over a low cross that Ji Stevenson slid in to meet only for his close-range effort to slip wide.

A long pass from Longridge, and short ones from Rudden and Hickey-Fugaccia, looked to have set-up McLeish to head in a third however Rhys Breen nodded away from under his own bar.

A chance from the resultant corner was lofted over the bar by McLeish with QP going close again in their next attack with a drive from Mauchin that flashed past Smith’s right-hand post.

Two minutes from the break Hickey- Fugaccia showed his prowess from a dead ball again with another superb delivery that Welsh came close to converting.

Half time – Annan Athletic 0 Queen’s Park 2

There were no changes for either side at the break with Welsh fouled in the opening seconds of the second half by Stevenson.

On 49 minutes Duncan picked out Rudden with a ball from the left with Smith glad to take it off the striker’s toes just as he was away to shoot.

Niko Ujdur stepped in to stop a home attack on 50 minutes and stepped up to set up a visiting raid that saw the ball cut across the home box. The Spiders kept up their pressure on the Annan goal and Fieldson came close with the proverbial long-range rocket shot that just fizzed over Smith’s goal.

Three minutes later a third goal looked on when Duncan took over corner kick duties and found Ujdur who sent a header just over.

Smith took advantage of a loose ball to give Callum Davidson’s side a reminder that the game was not over by firing in a deflected drive that was watched carefully by Jack Wills as it squeezed past.

On 63 minutes it was 3-0 to Queen’s Park when Hickey-Fugaccia dinked a cross over from the right and McLeish forced a knockdown to RUDDEN who swivelled on the spot and chipped into the net from seven yards out.

There was a special moment midway through the second half when Academy Graduate Timam Scott was brought on to make his senior debut.

Will was called into action on 70 minutes, and he was ready for it, as he leapt high to save a well hit Paul McGowan effort from the edge of the box.

Drozd made his bow a minute later with Will Tizzard helping set up an attack that saw the former Millwall striker send a shot wide after beating a couple of defenders.

A fourth goal was added on 76 minutes, and it was UJDUR that grabbed it, as a Drozd corner was pushed into the path of the defender who lashed high into the net.

There was another QP debut with ten minutes left when Reece Evans came on for McLeish.

Queen’s desire to keep Annan out was evidenced again with ten minutes left as Wills dived to keep out a Smith header and Ujdur darted across goal to block the striker’s effort from the follow up.

The clean-sheet was taken away however with four minutes to go as the ball broke to Charlie Maxwell and he slipped a shot out of the reach of Wills.

Annan were determined to go out with a bang and Wills was forced into two further smart stops to prevent the hosts adding a second.

Queen’s Park – Jack Wills, Zach Mauchin, Nikola Ujdur, Will Tizzard, Henry Fieldson, Rocco Hickey-Fugaccia (Timam Scott 65), Sean Welsh (Michael Collie 80), Louis Longridge (Reece Evans 80), Ryan Duncan (Josh Hinds 65), Liam McLeish, Zak Rudden (Seb Drozd 72).
Unused substitutes – Calum Ferrie (G/k), Roddy MacGregor, Jack Turner, Magnus Mackenzie.

Annan Athletic – Jamie Smith, Rico Quitongo Charlie Maxwell 76), Josh Dixon (Aaron Quigg 66), Rhys Breen, Paul McGowan (Charlie Barnes 75), Josh Todd, Aidan Smith, Max Kilsby, Kyle Fleming (Malik Zalid 60), Ji Stevenson, Wullie Gibson (Ryan Muir 66)
Unused substitutes – Greg Fleming (G/k), Steven Bell.

Referee – Gavin Duncan