ANNAN 1 QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 0
An untidy goal settled an untidy Dumfriesshire derby.
But not that it bothered a jubilant Annan side who celebrated wildly at the final whistle and took a mini lap of honour before delirious fans.
This was a result that was a big win for the Galabankies to re-ignite their climb up the table and, consequently, it was a big dent in the Queens promotion push in yet another away game without a win to stretch the run to six on the spin.
Yet they created numerous openings, but failed to capitalise in the rain and wind lashed encounter.
In a fiery start Queens’ Jack Hannah appeared to catch rival Aidan Smith in the face with a stray elbow before marking on a run which came to a crashing halt on the farside as Galabankies’ player boss scythed him down to earn a booking.
Queen’s Leighton McIntosh slid in at the back post only to knock the ball back across the face of goal before Oscar MacIntyre came close after a fine run on the left into the box then cracking an angled shot which keeper Jamie Smith brilliantly flipped onto the crossbar in 13 minutes.
But Annan came even closer through Josh Todd who angled his body to crack in an angled waist high shot from the right of the box which cannoned back off the right post in 26 minutes.
However, Queens took a foothold on the game after half an hour and McIntosh headed narrowly wide from a teasing cross by MacIntyre and Jack Brydon also caused panic by being allowed a free header in the box in 41 minutes. But his header from 12 yards was tame and keeper Smith moved across the far post to haul the ball down.
And a minute later Queens keeper Ross Stewart pulled off a fine full length save from Ryan Muir.
The first half ended with another effort from McIntosh, this time a header, slipping narrowly beyond the right post.
Annan finally took the lead in 57 minutes following a fumble for a corner by keeper Stewart. He came to collect a deflected deep cross by Gibson which nicked MacIntyre and instead of gathering, Stewart allowed it to squirm from his grasp and over the line.
Player boss Gibson swung the ball in from the right and Tommy Muir evaded the defence to glance a header down and beyond Stewart and in off the post, the keeper then desperately clawed it back from behind the line where Smith pounced to rattle home from close range.
Smith took the adulation from the crowd, but it was Tommy Muir’s goal and his first of the season.
Galabankies had a late claim for a penalty turned down after Stewart did well to beat out a fierce, angled shot from the left by Todd and Dan Church slid in to try and block the rebound from Aaron Quigg but sent him tumbling.
The frantic finish ended in stoppage time with keeper Stewart racing up the pitch for a corner and when the ball eventually fell to him 16 yards out he turned to try a hook the ball goalwards but failed and referee Alistair Grieve blew for fulltime to huge roars from the home support.
ANNAN: J.Smith, Dixon. R.Muir (Kilsby 90), Breen, McGowan (Quigg 87), Todd, A.Smith, T.Muir (Hooper 82). Fleming, Stevenson and Gibson.
Subs not used: G.Fleming, Quitongo, Ross, Zaid, Maxwell and Lennon.
QoS: Stewart, Hewitt, Lyon, Douglas, Cochrane (Church 80), McIntosh, Kennedy, Dickenson (O’Donnell 80), Hannah, MacIntyre and Brydon (Walker 80).
Subs not used: Church, Luissint, Johnstone, O’Donnell, Willis, Walker and Doherty.
Referee: Alastair Grieve.
Att: 1,005