GARRY HERON

The home side were welcomed by a rapturous standing ovation when they came on to the pitch, and the euphoria continued when they left it.

For the majority of the Palmerston faithful, the next time they rise to applaud their unlikely heroes it will be in the more palatial surroundings of Hampden, but they would welcome a similar display and result to this, which destroyed Dundee's title challenge.

The Dens Park club arrived knowing they would have to overcome a carnival atmosphere if they were to stand any chance of reaching the top flight. The omens were not good. Having failed to defeat Queens in their last five encounters and with their hosts buoyant after reaching the Scottish Cup final, it appeared an awkward hurdle for the visitors to conquer.

In the opening stages their task was almost made impossible when Sean O'Connor shrugged off Eddie Malone and went on to slide the ball under the stranded Craig Samson. But play was called back after the referee judged O'Connor guilty of a push on the Dundee defender.

Any preconceived ideas that Queens may have had one eye on their impending cup final and would not be fully focused on this game were quickly erased as they threatened with a succession of sprightly attacks.

At the opposite end of the field, the troublesome Mickael Antoine-Curier came close to opening the scoring only to see his close-range effort cleared.

The Dundee support were loud and on their feet until news arrived that Hamilton were ahead. The exuberance diminished quickly; one by one they slumped into their seats in silence. It was a similar story on the field as the Dundee players appeared to lose their early zeal.

To compound their misery, minutes before half time, the ball broke to Brian Gilmour from a corner and he drove the ball high past Samson into the roof of the net.

A similar theme followed during the second half as Queens continued to exert their authority on a demoralised Dundee team. Alex Rae sent out cries of encouragement from the sidelines, but his jaded team looked accepting of their fate.

For Queens, the season reads like a script from a Hollywood feelgood movie. In addition to their impending cup final, their win takes their points tally to 52, setting a new club record. The adventures of Queen of the South continue.