James Fowler pinpointed Hearts’ second goal as the killer blow in Saturday’s 4-1 defeat.
Iain Russell’s penalty clawed Queens back in to the game and cancelled out James Keatings opener for the Jambos. However, the hosts were back in front 10 minutes later through Danny Wilson before Prince Buaben and Adam Eckersley sealed the points for the league leaders.
The Queens gaffer insists the players will be looking to hit back this Friday night against Rangers following a disappointing result but a good performance in Edinburgh.
He said: “I think in the first half we got off lightly with them missing a penalty but in the second half we started well and were dominating the game.
“We get the goal and get back in to the game but then they sucker punch us with their second and the game opens up because we’re trying to get back in to it.
“I felt we started great in the second half and the fans were getting restless so we’ve got to take confidence from that as well.
“We’ve been on a good run and the players will be keen to bounce back after today. We’ll look forward to the Rangers game on Monday once we’ve analyzed today’s game.
“(In the Falkirk Hibs game) A draw might have been a better result, from our point of view we wanted to keep that gap but it is what it is and we’ve got to take care of ourselves. We’ve got a points total in mind and we’ve got three games left to get it in this quarter.”
Meanwhile, Hearts boss Robbie Neilson praised his side for their determination against the Doonhamers but he hailed Fowler’s men as tough opposition.
He said: “In the second half, Queens started well and that’s probably the best performance an away team has had against us this season. But we stayed strong and got the second goal.
“It’s a great result for us and we’ll now look forward to next week.”
Hearts face Cowdenbeath in a bid to make it 16 games unbeaten but all eyes will be on Palmerston Park this Friday night as Queens host Rangers.