After last weeks loss in the Scottish Cup to Queens Park, Alan Johnston rang the changes, bringing in Abdul Osman, Faissal El Bakhtaoui and Lee Kilday at the expense of Gary Oliver, Lewis Kidd and Andy McCarthy, who each dropped to the bench. El Bakhtaoui and Osman made their first appearances since our defeat at Dunfermline earlier this month, while Lee Kilday recovered from his injury picked up two weeks ago at Tannadice.
Full match photo gallery here.
Along with the change in personnel, there was a change in shape as Queens moved to a 4-4-1-1 formation. Connor Murray and Dan Pybus were the wide men, while El Bakh played just off Stephen Dobbie. Kevin Holt moved out to his regular left-back position with Kilday coming back in at centre-half.
The opening 10 minutes were shaky for Queens, with Dundee testing the Queens back-line through Jamie Ness and Josh Todd, although Queens were up to the task. A pair of corners were seen off comfortably by Queens, before the visitors started to grow in the game.
Murray was central to all the good work Queen were doing, with the young winger delivering some testing crosses into the Dundee area.
But a quiet first half hour was lit up on the 29th minute by some sublime skill by, you know who, Stephen Dobbie. After Darren Brownlie, Queen of the South?s answer to Virgil Van Dijk, charged through the heart of the Dundee midfield, he laid off Dobbie who still had it all to do. The Queens skipper twisted and turned his way around two Dundee players, before firing a low shot into the bottom corner from 20-yards.
Dobbie fires home
Dobbie celebrates with Holt
There wasn?t much to split the teams up to this point, but one piece of individual brilliance is all it takes.
While Dundee continued to keep most of the ball and territory, Queens were looking increasingly dangerous on the counter through Dobbie, El Bakh and Murray amongst others.
After 40 minutes, a Pybus-led counter-attack ended with El Bakhtaoui one-on-one with Hamilton, but his tame effort was easily held by the ?keeper. Dobbie was next to test Hamilton with a low free-kick, but again the ?keeper was up to the challenge.
At the tail-end of the half Jamie Ness was replaced Danny Johnson due to injury, before referee Alan Muir blew for half-time.
HT: Dundee 0-1 QoS
A solid showing from Queens in the first-half, with McCrorie being kept quiet thanks to the midfield and defence in-front of him.
The second period began much like the first-half ended. Despite Dundee dominating possession, it was Queens who almost doubled their lead. An ambitious long-ball from Pybus found its way to Connor Murray, who tried to chip Hamilton from 30-yards, only for his effort to fly the wrong side of the post.
El Bakh tried his luck next, with a 25-yard effort drawing a spectacular save from Hamilton.
Robbie McCrorie was tested for the first next and what a wonderful save he made. A dangerous cross found Hemmings, whose shot looked destined for the bottom corner. But McCrorie tipped it onto the post, before gathering the ball from underneath the oncoming striker. A truly terrific save, that was just about as valuable as a goal.
And indeed another goal for Queens almost came. Again, a dangerous counter saw Mercer switch play to Dobbie in the area, but the diving head of Jordan Forster blocked Dobbie?s effort. The resulting corner saw Dobbie?s back-post header go narrowly wide.
Finlay Robertson was substituted after taking a ball to the face, with Craig Moore replacing him.
Dobbie almost doubled his goal tally again after 73 minutes. Murray?s delightful cross was controlled by Dobs, who turned Forster, but the towering centre-half was able to regroup and block Dobbie?s close-range shot.
Murray was the first man to be subbed after going down off the ball with Michael Paton replacing him. Murray was at his brilliant best all day, the only negative being the way his day ended.
Queens were doing exceptionally in the last 15 minutes to hold the ball and limit Dundee to shots from range. The visitors were good watch in the second-half with free flowing counter-attacking football a joy to watch for some of the 4517 spectators.
Man-to-man Queens were quite brilliant all 90 minutes. Unfortunately, after 92 minutes Dundee equalised. A brilliant Danny Johnson finish from the edge of the area looked to have sealed a point for the home side. The strikers? effort flying into the top corner, leaving McCrorie with no chance.
Johnson gives McCrorie no chance
However, after delight had turned to despair in the Queens end, just 51 seconds after Johnson?s goal, Sir Stephen Dobbie struck to snatch victory at the end. A basic kick-off routine was cut-out by Dobbie who dispossessed Forster, before slotting under Hamilton in the Dundee goal. It was everything Queens deserved after putting in a brilliant shift.
Dobbie beats Hamilton straight from the restart to win the game
Dobbie celebrates
FT: Dundee 1-2 QoS
A disciplined performance, a terrific game plan and two more goals for Dobbie. Three points, two points off Dundee in fourth and a last minute winner. If Carlsberg did Saturdays?