Queen's Park 2, Airdrie 0: Spiders save their Championship status with a fine win

Queen's Park held onto their Championship status as they grabbed a vital win over Airdrie at Hampden this evening.

Ruari Paton's first-half strike and a second half bullet from sub Liam McLeish were enough to give the Spiders full points and keep Inverness in the relegation play-off slot.

For Airdrie, it means going into their Premiership play-off quarter-final against Partick Thistle next week on the back of a defeat.

Paton put Queen's Park ahead in 26 minutes and it was a deserved lead for the hosts, who looked the more threatening side.

Of course, they had much more riding on this, while Airdrie had the air of a side looking to get this game out of the way.

Paton should have doubled his tally and Queen's Park's lead early in the second half, and the hosts generally looked like the side more likely to score.

They did just that with eight minutes left as McLeish sent an angled shot ripping into the net.

Inverness, meanwhile, ended up just a point behind the Spiders as they beat 10-man Morton in the Highlands.

Perhaps with an eye on those play-off games, Airdrie boss Rhys McCabe made five changes to the side that drew 0-0 with champions Dundee United last Friday. Captain Adam Frizzell was back in, alongside Cammy Ballantyne, Aaron Taylor-Sinclair, Murray Aiken and Calum Gallagher.

His Spiders counterpart Callum Davidson made one change to his side that thumped Arbroath 5-0 last time out, as Tommy Robson came in for Will Tizzard.

Airdrie created the first real chance in 11 minutes when Frizzell and Gallagher linked well, but Calum Ferrie read it well and saved at the Diamonds skipper's feet.

But Queen's nearly caught Airdrie napping in 15 minutes, with Paton nipping in to cut the ball back from the left bye-line, only for it to be booted away from lurking Cillian Sheridan.

Sheridan tried an audacious chip from the left flank 60 seconds later, but it landed on the roof of the net, rather than the right corner that he was aiming for.

But Queen's Park took the lead in 26 minutes when Sheridan knocked a clearance on to Ruari Paton, and he burst into the box to bury a crisp shot into the bottom right corner.

Further dithering in Airdrie's defence nearly resulted in Paton doubling his tally in 49 minutes, but his shot on the turn was deflected narrowly wide of the right post.

Sheridan then set up Paton for a shot on goal in 51 minutes, but Robbie Hemfrey did well to block his effort, with the pair colliding.

Frizzell saw a shot clawed just past the right post in 53 minutes as Airdrie tried to get back into the game.

Paton's 20-yard free kick was saved in 59 minutes.

Lewis McGregor forced a fine block from Ferrie in 75 minutes and was felled by the keepers as he chased the rebound, but play was waved on.

Sub Elliot Dunlop hooked a shot wide of the left post from a McGregor set-up moments later as Queen's Park flirted with disaster.

A Kanayo Megwa cross was headed goalwards by Alasdair Spalding in 77 minutes, but it was again well saved.

But sub McLeish made the points secure in 82 minutes with a rocket of a shot into the bottom left corner from 17 yards.

QUEEN'S PARK: Ferrie, Fox, Robson, Bannon, Longridge, Welsh, Turner, Scott, Thomas (Mauchin, 58), Sheridan McLeish, 70), Paton.

Subs (not used): Wills (GK), Wilson, Bruce, McKinstry, Reid, Carse, McDonnell.

AIRDRIE: Hemfrey, Aiken (Hancock, 62), Ballantyne (Megwa, 62), Fordyce (Watson, 46), Taylor-Sinclair (Spalding, 62), Frizzell (Dunlop, 62), Donnell, Lyall, O'Connor, McGregor, Gallagher.

Subs (not used): Melrose (GK), Todorov, McGill, Rowley.

Booked: Frizzell (45), Watson (89)

Referee: Ross Hardie

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