Jambos Expose Queens Shortcomings

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Hearts rewarded their huge away support by beating Queen of the South to keep up their unbeaten Championship run.

The Doonhamers had dominated until Osman Sow crashed a strike from distance in off the bar.

Prince Buaben added a second before half-time with a stabbed finish after his piercing run through the middle.

And right-back Jordan McGhee found himself in the six-yard box to turn in Billy King's cross in front of jubilant Jambos behind the goal.

The 3,000-strong Hearts support that travelled down to sunny Dumfries made Palmerston a sight to behold - 2,000 of them squeezed into the roofless, terraced stand that is the Terregles Street end.

And their singing voices and scarf-twirling abilities reached optimal levels just before half-time when Buaben's strike put them two goals ahead, after Sow's screamer three minutes previously.

However, it had not been plain sailing up until that point.

Queen of the South, under James Fowler officially for the first time, were shooting towards the mass of maroon in the first half and the Doonhamers wasted little time trying to silence them.

Gavin Reilly's low shot was only a whisker wide of the right post after he got the better of Turkish defender Alim Ozturk.

And the hosts came even closer two minutes later when former Rangers and Dunfermline centre-back Andy Dowie headed Ian McShane's corner off the inside of the post and back into the grip of Hearts goalkeeper Neil Alexander, who clutched the ball gratefully.

The Jambos were rattled, and it showed when Ozturk got a little worked up under the attentions of Dowie at a set-piece - something referee Brian Colvin booked both players for.

Hearts, through King's cross, did eventually carve a good chance themselves, only for Sow to head straight at Zander Clark.

But the big Swede got his seventh goal of the season in brilliant, albeit controversial, style in the 39th minute.

Collecting the ball with his back to goal at the edge of the box, Sow turned and smashed it left footed towards the top left corner - the ball coming down off the underside of the crossbar and being judged to have just crossed the line.

The Queens players protested in vain at the assistant referee's decision, but the anguish was increased by going a further goal behind.

This time, Buaben careered through the middle of the park, slaloming past a couple of half-challenges to put himself in a position where he could poke a shot past a diving Clark from 18 yards.

Referee Colvin came back out to a chorus of boos from the home fans at the start of the second half, but got back on their side, slightly, when he ruled that Chris Higgins did not foul Jamie Walker when the Hearts man looked for a penalty.

However, nothing could stop McGhee turning in Billy King's cross from the left on the hour-mark - netting that much sought-after third goal in front of the swollen away support to put the game beyond doubt.