This season has felt like a novelty to Queen of the South.
The ease at which they have adjusted since being relegated to the second division has allowed the club to entertain a frivolous statistic; that the Dumfries side can claim to be the last team in British football to lose their first league game.
It has been a campaign which has already offered atonement for dropping down a division after cup wins over Hibernian and Rangers, but their momentum was interrupted last night in a rearranged fixture with Alloa Athletic. It is a result which has left the leaders to find a response to a problem they had yet to face.
They have lost before – Dundee United and Kilmarnock both forced Queens out of cup competitions – but those results were tempered by the strength of the performance. Last night Queens were resisted by a side that also showed an ability to hurt them, Ryan McCord, inset, converting a penalty on 57 minutes after Martin Grehan was toppled over by Ryan McGuffie. It was a calm finish, but Alloa had already caused some trepidation for the visitors with Kevin Cawley and Darren Young both hitting the post early in the first half.
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