Scottish Championship: Hibernian held to 0-0 draw by Queen of the South

Hibernian lost further ground on Scottish Championship leaders Hearts after being held to a goalless draw by Queen of the South in a forgettable clash at Easter Road.

The hosts failed to convert their overall dominance into goals as they spurned a number of clear-cut chances, particularly in a one-sided opening half.

Queen of the South rarely threatened and were content to depart with a hard-earned point that keeps them third in the table, albeit 10 points adrift of the leaders.

Hibs were on the front foot from the opening whistle, with Liam Craig’s shot narrowly clearing the bar early on before Jason Cummings headed over from Lewis Stevenson’s cross.

Visiting goalkeeper Zander Clark then pulled off a smart save to keep out a swerving, 30-yard effort from Cummings, while John Baird went close in a rare Queens foray into opposition territory.

Hibs went back on the offensive and Clark did well to palm away Scott Allan’s free-kick from the edge of the box before also keeping out a snapshot from Cummings after Derek Lyle fired high and wide at the other end.

Mark Kerr was on hand to clear Paul Hanlon’s header off the line, and another decent effort from Allan failed to get past the impressive Clark as Queens made it to the interval on level terms.

The hosts introduced Paul Heffernan on the hour after a scrappy opening to the second half, and the substitute could have made an immediate impact had his first touch not allowed Clark to smother at his feet.

Heffernan blazed inches wide shortly afterwards and then scooped over from six yards to add to the frustration of the Hibernian faithful.

Speculative long-range strikes from Mark Durnan and Ian McShane drifted wide in the closing stages, while Hibs were left to rue their lack of composure in front of goal as they stumbled to a third draw in six games.