Cowdenbeath were within touching distance of safety on Saturday but boss Jimmy Nicholl is determined that his men will put the disappointment behind them and go to Ayr for the Championship relegation play-off semi-final first leg with confidence.
Bob McHugh’s stoppage-time equaliser for Queen’s saved Alloa Athletic from the play-offs on goal difference and leaves the Blue Brazil having to beat Ayr United over the two legs on Wednesday and Saturday, then win the final, to achieve their ambition of staying in the Championship.
Yet against Queen of the South it looked as if they were going to get the three points that would have taken them to safety.
The first period saw promotion play-offs-bound Queen’s play some good football without really bothering the home defence and Cowden’s Rory McKeown skimmed the visitors’ bar with a 45-yarder and top scorer Kane Hemmings and strike partner Greg Stewart both could have scored.
The second period saw the Dumfries side have to replace half-time substitute Gavin Reilly with Paul Burns within six minutes after he went over on his ankle, and it took three minutes for him to be stretchered off the park.
Cowdenbeath grabbed the lead in 75 minutes when Hemmings netted his 18th league goal of the season, coolly driving the ball past Zander Clark after the Palmerston defence failed to pick him up.
There were other chances for the home side to tie things up but Clark made two good saves from Stewart and Lewis Milne and in the sixth minute of time added on came the killer blow for the Blue Brazil.
A Danny Carmichael corner saw Cowden keeper Thomas Flynn blocked by two Queen’s frontmen and when the ball went loose in the six-yard box McHugh squeezed it over the line.
“We were so close to our big prize,” said Nicholl. “We were caught out at that late corner and the result is that we now have to do things the hard way.
“It was a very tight game but we still carved out enough openings to have grabbed a second goal.
“The lads are very down for they had been so close to their aim, but we will get them ready for what we have to do at Ayr on Wednesday.”