Josh Cooper says Dunfermline were denied two penalties

That's the view of Josh Cooper as the midfielder said he had TWO strong claims for a penalty turned down.

Twice he had shots blocked by Queen's Cammy Kerr and twice he reckoned the centre back had saved it with his arm, pointing out there were a "few handball shouts which the referee got wrong".

Boss James McPake thought there was a "certain penalty" when the defender appeared to dive in front of the Pars man's shot and stop it with his hands, just as they were looking for a way back into the match.

READ MORE: 'Don't blame ref for this defeat, we picked the wrong team and were poor'

Asked for his view, Cooper said: "It comes back to me, I hit the shot.

"It was a clear handball, the boy blocks it in front of his face.

"It comes back to me again, obviously they block it a few more times."

Josh Cooper is denied by Queen's goalie Calum Ferrie. (Image: Craig Brown) Queen's were 2-0 up when Cooper did find the net, a smart finish with 12 minutes left, and he had a chance to level only for Kerr to throw his arm up to protect his face and block the close-range blast.

The 21-year-old explained: "There's another one that falls to me in the box as well, and I volley it.

"I don't know if it hits Cammy Kerr’s head, or if he puts his arm in front of it again, but the referee doesn't see any of them."

Did he ask the ref?

Cooper said: "He just told us that it wasn't handball but clearly it hits him right in the hand, especially the first one.”

READ MORE: Josh strike is too little too late as Queen's stun Pars

There were crumbs of comfort in that it was his first goal for the club - the last time he found the net was a hat-trick for Stirling against Kelty in January.

Eyes on the prize. Josh Cooper watches as his shot beats the Queen's goalie and nestles into the net. His first goal for DA. (Image: Craig Brown) He controlled a Kane Ritchie-Hosler pass with his right foot and as the ball dropped he arrowed it across Calum Ferrie with his left and into the bottom corner.

Cooper conceded: "A good finish and I am probably killing myself because I should probably score a couple of others as well, but maybe on another day they go in.”

After coming on as one of three half-time subs, he did at least make an impact with a goal and a positive display, but there was no disguising his frustration at the result and performance.

Cooper said: “Yeah, it's disappointing, isn't it? We concede two poor set-pieces, it kills us."

The intensity and relentlessness that Dunfermline showed in their two previous matches was absent until the final 12 minutes when they threw everything into getting an equaliser.

Cooper agreed: “I think we needed that from the start. In the last two games, we've not done it at all.

"At Partick last week, we didn't start fast enough.

"It shows what we can do. You need to start fast in this league and put teams under pressure, especially when we're at home and the fans will get behind us, like against Raith and Ayr. We got good results there.”