Queen of the South 1 - 1 Hearts RECAP: Late Boyce penalty rescues a point

Live coverage of Hearts' trip to face Queen of the South. Picture: SNS

Three points for the visitors would see the team open up a huge 15-point lead with more than half of the truncated season played.

At the time of writing, the fixture is one of only two which will be played this weekend in the second tier, with the other being the crucial relegation clash between Alloa Athletic and Arbroath.

Palmerston Park was a happy hunting ground the last time Hearts were in the Championship, winning both games. However, manager Robbie Neilson has issued a warning about the difficulty of the playing on the ground’s pitch having lost 4-0 on one of his outings their as Dundee United boss last season.

The Tynecastle boss will likely have a full fit squad to choose from with the possible exception of Aidy White, and, of course, the long-term absentees.

The last time these sides met, Hearts ran out 6-1 winners in Gorgie back in December. Since then the squad has been altered somewhat with Craig Wighton the latest change with the striker having now departed for Dunfermline Athletic, while Neilson has added a number of new names, including Aaron McEneff who impressed off the bench against Ayr United last week.

We will have live coverage throughout the evening with the latest updates, plus reaction and analysis.