Championship featured game

It may be a case of who is going to catch Hearts but there will be memories of ‘Anyone Who Had a Heart’ when Queen of the South host Rangers tonight.

The Championship clash is live on BT Sport at 7.45pm and is the first meeting at Palmerston Park in the league since February 22, 1964 when Cilla Black was enjoying her first No 1, with the Burt Bacharach and Hal David song.

The Ibrox side won 4-1 that day and went on to win the title, with Queens being relegated, but both clubs are currently bidding for promotion.

Queen of the South manager James Fowler said: “I am looking for a better result in this game! The fact the last league match here with Rangers was 50 years ago shows how big a game this is for the club and for Dumfries. There should be a full house which is brilliant for our players to play in front of.”

The Doonhamers’ last league game also ended in a 4-1 defeat from Hearts but Fowler said: “The final score was a bit harsh as we played really well in the second half.

“Hearts had taken the lead early on with a bit of a wonder goal from James Keatings, which knocked the stuffing out of us, but we bounced back. We were the better side for long periods of the second half and got level.

“The way we played forced Robbie Neilson to change his formation and they got a fortunate second goal. We lost more goals as we chased things but we can take confidence from the way we played at Tynecastle and the fact that Robbie said we were the best side he had faced there.”

Fowler had to alter preparations for the visit of Ally McCoist’s side due to the poor weather, by moving his men from their training base at Clyde’s Broadwood ground to the indoor facility at Hamilton Palace.

He added: “The players had the day off on Wednesday as usual, and it was just as well as we would not have got any work done at Broadwood. We planned ahead and managed to get into Hamilton on Thursday which was a great help.

“Rangers have quality players, guys that are full internationalists, and we are getting ready to face the side that saw off Kilmarnock. We have players that can rise to the occasion and hurt them but we need to play well to do anything.

“We have won two TV night games this season, both against Raith Rovers, and this would be a great game to complete a hat-trick.”

Craig Stewart