Queen of the South will be playing Championship football again next season after a goalles draw with Ayr United at Somerset Park.
Allan Johnston made three changes to his Queens side for their trip to Somerset Park with Dan Pybus, Stephen Dobbie and Euan East replacing Dapo Mebude, Isaiah Jones and Ciaran Dickson. Tommy Goss and Joe McKee returned to the bench, with Jones amongst the replacements.
Queens started in a 4-1-3-2 formation with Dobbie joining Connor Shields up front, although it was quickly changed to a 4-3-3 with Shields leading the line.
It was a relatively quiet start to the game, Mark McKenzie and Luke McCowan were looking the most likely for Ayr with the former swivelling and firing dangerously at Rohan Ferguson?s goal on 16 minutes but it went narrowly wide.
McCowan was the next man to have a sight of goal as a long ball from Patrick Reading was well controlled by the winger but he fired over the bar from close range.
McKenzie had another chance for the home team on 22 minutes from 18 yards out but his scuffed effort, again, flew over.
Queens slowly began to grow into the game from this point with Dobbie testing PJ Morrison from the right hand side but the angle was always against the Queens skipper.
Aaron Muirhead picked up his usual yellow card against Queens although this time it was for smashing the ball at Shields who was on the deck, rather than a foul on anyone.
HT: Ayr 0-0 Queens
A massively forgetful first-half. Ayr had a couple of chances midway through but apart from that both Ferguson and Morrison were largely spectators.
The second 45 wasn?t much better, in truth.
It took until 57 minutes in for any meaningful chance to happen, Shields firing well over the bar from inside the area.
While the game probably wasn?t ill-tempered, referee Nick Walsh handed out a myriad of cards. Sam Roscoe, Jordan Houston and Shields were all booked in the second-half before the 65 minute mark for various challenges.
The hosts were beginning to push searching for a winner ? Queens only needed a draw to stay up.
And United?s best chance, by some stretch, fell on 76 minutes to the wrong person in Roscoe. The towering centre-back received the ball just six yards from goal. With the entire net to aim at, he managed to fire straight into the hands of Ferguson.
Todd shoots straight at Ferguson with the goal gaping
It was probably easier to score, but nonetheless the game remained goalless.
FT: Ayr 0-0 Queens
As you can tell by the shorter than short match report there was really very little to cover today.
Despite this, Queens will be playing Championship football in the 2021/22 season. It really is a remarkable turnaround from everyone at the club after a disappointing opening nine games that yielded just four points out of 27.
Next week Dundee, who can still finish second, visit Palmerston in what will be the last game of the 2020/21 campaign.
Finlay Jack