Blue Toon captain Simon Ferry is remaining optimistic his hard-working colleagues will pass their survival test after this Hampden reverse edged them closer to relegation.
Peterhead were well beaten and former Dundee midfielder Ferry said: “It was a very disappointing result from a game which we went into feeling that we had to win.
“The game was quite even and there was not too much between the sides. We created a number of chances, but we just did not get the break we need just now. Queen’s Park got a couple of breaks for their goals but that’s what happens when you’re in our position.”
Jordon Brown had an opening for the visitors on 20 minutes but his header sailed on to the roof of the net and the hosts made the most of that reprieve just nine minutes later.
On-loan Hearts attacker Dario Zanatta cracked a deflected shot home from the edge of the box and a familiar feeling of things not going Peterhead’s way returned when Rory McAllister headed over from close range before the break.
That feeling intensified when McAllister went down in the box on 62 minutes and, rather than being given a penalty, the forward was shown a yellow card for diving.
To rub salt into the wound one-time Balmoor defender Ryan McGeever tapped in a second goal for the Spiders 17 minutes from time.
Ferry added: “There are fine margins in this league and this game was evidence of that.
“We didn’t get the same break of the ball as Queen’s Park got. I thought we should have had a stonewall penalty when we were 1-0 down. If we had got that and scored from it, the game would have become a very different contest, but things didn’t go our way.”
Peterhead have now gone 10 games without a win and Ferry is mystified. He added: “There has been no lack of effort from the players. If there was, I would be the first to say.
“It is hard for us to be critical of each other when the hard work is being put in, but we are maybe lacking just a little bit of quality.
“We now have four cup finals between now and the end of the season and we will take them one game at a time.
“We need to continue to work as hard as we have done and hopefully produce a little bit more quality.
“If we do that then we will games and if we get a couple of them you never know what could happen.”