Royal heartbreak as Inverness suffer late defeat to Queen of the South
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1
Queen of the South 2
Scorers- ICT: Walsh (69) QQS: Mercer (83) Dobbie (84)
TWO goals in two minutes saw Queen of the South leave Inverness with all three points as the hosts threw away the chance to get back into the play-off zone.
Inverness made one change to the team that lost 2-1 at Ross County with Carl Tremarco coming back into the team at left back in place of Shaun Rooney who was sent off at Dingwall.
Jordan White spurned a glorious chance to give ICT the lead early on when he connected with a Sean Walsh cross but his downward header was blocked by Scott Mercer before the ball was picked up by Alan Martin.
Queen of the South claimed for a penalty when Josh Todd ran on to a long pass from Nicky Low and said he was taken down by Jamie McCart but referee Barry Cook ruled it was a fair challenge.
Coll Donaldson was denied by the woodwork to give Inverness the lead right at the start of the second half when he got a diving head on Joe Chalmers corner which went through the Queens’ defence but hit the left-hand post.
But Queens responded when Todd beat his marker to run on to Jordan Marshall’s long ball and cut inside from the left wing into the box.
But Mark Ridgers produced a great one-handed save before the ball was punted away from danger.
Inverness broke the deadlock in the 67th minute when White headed a Carl Tremarco cross from the left wing back into the box by White to find Walsh whose volley from 12 yards thundered past Martin into the net.
But Queens equalised seven minutes from time when the Inverness defence failed to deal with Jordan Marshall’s cross allowing Mercer to fire home from close range.
Sixty seconds later Stephen Dobbie beat Brad McKay to a long ball and charged into the box before firing into the left corner of the net to give Queen of the South all three points.
ICT: Ridgers, Tremarco (McHattie 87), Chalmers, Donaldson, McCart, Polworth (MacGregor 87), Doran (Austin 64), Walsh, Welsh, White, McKay. Subs (Unused) Hoban, Trafford, Nicolson.
Queen of the South: Martin, Mercer, Marshall, Fordyce, Doyle (Stirling 74), Todd, Dobie, Semple, Low, Dykes. Subs (Unused): Leighfield, Murray, Bell, Frizzell, MacGuire.
