Dunfermline Preview

It's another big game at Palmerston this weekend as we welcome play-off rivals, Dunfermline. Both teams are neck in neck for the race to finish in the top four on 34 points so far. With the Pars a place ahead in fifth due to goal-difference.

It finished goal-less the last time the two met in Dumfries, but Queens produced arguably their best performance of the season at East End Park in December, when Chris Kane scored a double only to be out done by Stephen Dobbie who grabbed a hat-trick in our five - two win.

Queens boss Gary Naysmith looks ahead to the latest meeting.

"I felt that we deserved more than just a share of the spoils against Morton last weekend. I was pleased with the performance of the players and I really thought we had done enough to take all three points.

I know that some supporters were disappointed that Stephen Dobbie had an effort ruled out but having looked at it several times, I have to say that it was the correct decision. A point was certainly better than nothing against Morton but if we are to maintain our push for the play-offs then we need to start winning games again, especially against teams like Dunfermline, who are on the same points tally as ourselves.

Dunfermline, like ourselves, are still very much in the promotion race and I am expecting a very tough contest today. The players will be smarting from the result up there at the end of last year and will have extra motivation to prove to themselves and their supporters that it was a one off.

From our point of view we need to replicate how well we played that day.

This is the start of a big four days for us, with Dundee United at Tannadice on Tuesday night and hopefully after these two games, we will still be in touching distance of the play-offs with ten games remaining.

The squad is starting to get stronger again with some key players returning from injury. Given they hadn't played for nearly two months, it was good to get 90 minutes from both Jordan and Kyle last weekend and their match fitness will only get better.

We will still be without Alan Martin, Derek Lyle, Joe Thomson, Owen Bell and Dan Carmichael for this one. ".

The match at Palmerston which kicks off at 3pm will be sponsored by HK Thorburn, with David Fulton Hull or silverball sponsor.  A special day for mascots, Sophie Ambrosini and Maia Doherty.

And the SLO Charity of the week is the Dumfries & Galloway Befriending Project, which supports and enriches the lives of vulnerable young people aged 8 to 18 across Dumfries and Galloway, through Befriending.