Hearts 2 : 0 Queen of South - Cruise for champions

Champions Hearts extended their winning streak in the Scottish Championship to nine matches with a 2-0 victory against Queen of the South at Tynecastle.

The visitors afforded Robbie Neilson's men a guard of honour as they emerged from the tunnel on to the pitch and the generosity did not end there as Hearts went ahead with the first chance of the game.

Osman Sow received the ball with his back to goal and turned his man before rolling a shot into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

Queen of the South then enjoyed a lot of possession, although without troubling Neil Alexander. The closest James Fowler's side came to a goal was when Hearts defender Alim Ozturk headed the ball narrowly wide of his own net.

Alexander Clark produced a superb save to deny Sow shortly before half-time while, in the second half, Jamie Walker and Billy King almost extended the lead.

Ozturk did just that after 67 minutes when his low free-kick took a deflection and flew into the bottom corner of the net.