Before the next match John Connolly was awarded his first Bells Manager of the Month Award for Division One after Queens charge to the top during October. He then beat the usual hoodoo and managed to win the next game 1-0 at Raith Rovers. Alex Burke grabbed the vital goal after an error by Richard Brittain.
The league was still very tight and Queens temporarily lost their top slot without even playing the following Friday night as Falkirk beat Raith in a match brought forward to avoid a clash with the Scotland v Holland play-off. Indeed, only Inverness' failure to hold on to a three goal lead at home to Ross County prevented them from passing us also. However, we bounced back to the top on Sunday afternoon following a 1-0 Palmerston win over Ayr United. Alex Burke scored the goal again, this time with virtually the first shot of the second half. Jim Thomson was sent off with over half an hour to go following his second bookable challenge but we held on comfortably enough. Indeed had Derek Lyle, on as sub, not headed against the bar when it was easier to score late on we would have won by more.
Our run at the top of the table ended for good the following weekend following a 3-1 defeat at Clyde. Perhaps more crucially an effectively season ending injury suffered by Colin Scott in that game would mean more in the long term for the prospects of returning to the top. In spite of Scott's injury we took the lead on the stroke of half-time through Gary Wood's first league goal but Ian Harty and Andy Smith combined for all three Clyde goals in the second half.
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