BILLY Stark's amateurs remain on course for promotion to the Second Division after a thrilling Firhill play-off final first leg last night. But East Fife kept the tie alive with two second-half goals which could yet prove decisive when the sides resume hostilities at the weekend.

Queen's looked in the mood from the start and Fifers keeper John Dodds was kept on his toes as a couple of long-range shots came flying towards his goal.

However, the Methil men survived the pressure to create two excellent chances of their own. Stephen Nicholas was first to threaten with a tight-angled effort which went narrowly wide. Greig McDonald rose to power a header behind David Crawford but referee John Underhill penalised the big defender for a push. That was all the encouragement Queen's needed to redouble their efforts as highly-rated striker David Weatherston suddenly showed the form which has attracted a host of scouts. In 23 minutes he appeared to have been put clean through by Paul Ronald's threaded pass only for an assistant's flag to be raised.

Moments later a similar move did spring the offside trap but this time Weatherston was thwarted by a terrific save from Dodds. The livewire forward played his part as the Spiders finally broke the deadlock on the half-hour. Weatherston was prowling dangerously on the edge of the box when he was upended by Lloyd Young and Steve Canning lashed the free kick through the wall and in.

The goal forced the Fifers out of their defensive shell but Queen's began to pass the ball around in style and deservedly doubled their lead before the break. This time a corner straight from the training ground resulted in some neat passing before Mark Ferry's cross picked out Micky Dunlop, who slid the ball home from close range.

Queen's appeared to have put the issue beyond doubt when Canning added his second with a delightful effort on the restart. He thundered a free-kick into the defensive wall and then turned power to delicacy by meeting the rebound with a cheeky lob which gave Dodds no chance.

However, East Fife refused to throw in the towel and gave themselves a lifeline when Young shrugged off several challenges to bury a shot from 16 yards. The three-goal cushion was restored when Paul Cairney took possession on the edge of the box and took his time before planting a pinpoint shot low behind Dodds.

Once again the Fifers showed resilience to throw the tie back into the melting pot when McDonald rose above the home defence to head firmly into the bottom corner of the net.

Queen's Park: Crawford, Paton, Dunlop, Trouten, Agostini, Canning, Kettlewell, Cairney, Ronald (Dunn 73), Weatherston, Ferry. Subs not used: Reilly, Malloy, Bowers, Cowie.

East Fife: Dodds, Dair, Smith, Smart, McDonald, Young, Gibson (Gordon 82), Jablonski, Nicholas (Ritchie 83), O'Reilly, Hampshire (Walker 64). Subs not used: Courts, Ross.