The Doonhamers performed with great aplomb at one of their bogey grounds on Saturday, and to a certain extent against one of their bogey grounds in recent years.
On loan signing Derek Lyle, from The Jags, lit the blue touch paper in the 6th minute when he met a cross from Atkinson to send a looping header over the Stenny keeper. The lead was short lived, however, when Wood equalised in the 9th minute with a neatly struck shot from 12 yards that had Scott beaten.
Ex-Killie player Stuart Davidson gave Queens the lead once again in the 16th
minute, when he stooped to head home into an empty net after a ferocious shot by Lyle from around 30 yards out was touched onto the bar by Stenny's keeper, and bounced down and out, with Davidson first to react to head home !!
Queens played well all match and Stenny were playing like a side who were away from home, trying to catch Queens on the counter-attack !!
Lyle scored just before the break, in the 42nd minute, when he headed home yet another cross. O'Connor & Lyle were linking up well with McAlpine & Grey but it was O'Connor that was replaced at half-time when he pulled his hamstring.
O'Connor's replacement, the one and only Nelly Weatherson took only 7 minutes to get on the scoresheet to put Queens on Easy Street when he kept his eyes on a long clearance by Scott in goals to shrug off the attentions of the Stenny left back to coolly lob the ball over the advancing Stenny keeper.
Queens totally dominated the rest of the match and the only danger was from a Stenny corner, when Scott had to dive full length to touch the ball away to safety. Indeed, Queens were on cruise control and beagn show boating somewhat. Two efforts from Lyle went close to deny him his hat-trick and Weatherson and McAlpine also had efforts saved. So, in retrospect, the scoreline may have finished 6 or 7 goals to one !!
With 6 matches remaining, Queens may consolidate their posion at the top against Berwick at Palmerston this Saturday to set up a potential Championship decider at Alloa on Saturday week !!