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Fraser Fyvie’s first half wonder goal sent us on the road to an emphatic Scottish Cup victory over our Championship hosts to secure a crack at his old club Hibernian in the next round.

Skipper Mitch Megginson rounded things off with a well taken double in the second period in a third round replay that we controlled from start to finish.

It was our first visit to Palmerston Park since making our Scottish Cup debut there in 1989, when we lost 2-1.

And what a return it was!

We brushed aside The Doonhamers with one of the best away performances ever seen from a Cove Rangers side.

That was despite having to again cope with wild weather conditions, particularly in the second period, when Queen of the South had the advantage of the gales caused by Storm Barra at their backs.

Our lads stood up to that with some outstanding defending until Megginson’s late double killed off any chance of the Dumfries side saving themselves.

Were it not for a series of cracking saves by home keeper Sol Brynn – who excelled in the first match at Balmoral Stadium too – things would have been done and dusted by the interval.

Brynn began by touching Jamie Masson’s close-range header over the bar, after the midfielder had got on to the end of a Blair Yule cross.

When the resulting corner was eventually knocked back out into the path of Masson his 20-yard shot was heading for the top corner until Brynn made a brilliant diving save to push the ball over the bar again.

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Queen of the South’s only real chance of the of the half came in the 22nd minute, when Lee Connelly shot off target after Paul McKay had sent a long throw in from the right.

Brynn denied us yet again in the 25th minute.

Yule’s excellent through pass reached Megginson and his 16-yard shot was going in until Brynn dived full length to push the ball wide of his right post.

The one-way traffic continued with Ryan Strachan feeding the ball up for Megginson to shoot wide from the edge of the area.

It was clearly going to take something special to beat Brynn … and FYVIE delivered by opening the scoring in the 38th minute in spectacular style.

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The midfielder picked the ball up at the junction of the Queen of the South penalty area, out on the right, held off his marker then turned to unleash an unstoppable shot across the face of the home goal and into the top corner.

It was by far the best of the seven goals Fyvie has netted so far this season.

The wind had really picked up for the restart and was at the backs of the home side.

Connolly almost used it to their benefit when his 30-yard shot sped wide of Kyle Gourlay’s left post.

The woodwork came to our rescue in the 54th minute.

Alex Cooper’s cross from the right was headed by Ruari Paton and the ball then hit the underside of the crossbar, dropped right on to the line then bounced outwards, with Morgyn Neill racing in to lash it away to safety.

The home players claimed for a goal and it looked close, but given what happened with their first goal in the 2-2 draw at Balmoral they could hardly complain.

Queen’s then pumped a series of high balls forward but they were repelled by some outstanding defending, right along our back line.

We were also dangerous on the break, like when Fyvie broke down the right wing, in the 57th minute, to lash a shot from the edge of the area wide of the target.

Rory McAllister replaced Leighton McIntosh in the 72nd minute and went to play his part as we sealed victory in the latter stages.

Our second goal, in 78th minute, was also a cracker.

Gourlay’s long kick reached MEGGINSON inside the Queen’s half.

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He quickly knocked the ball wide to Yule, darted forward to collect the return pass, then lashed a low shot into the net from just outside the six-yard box.

MEGGINSON made it 3-0 in the 82nd minute.

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McAllister’s challenge led to home defender Paul McKay making a weak headed clearance and when the ball went to Megginson, he placed it into the net from the edge of the penalty area to send the loyal band of Cove Rangers fans who had made the long and at times treacherous trek to Dumfries into raptures.

It’s good that their loyalty has been rewarded with a mouthwatering trip to Easter Road in January.

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QUEEN OF THE SOUTH: Brynn, Cooper, McKay, Paton, Todd (Roy 62), Connelly, McGrory, Joseph (East 70), Johnston, Gibson, Soares-Junior.

Subs: Rae, McKechnie.

COVE RANGERS: Gourlay, Neill, Milne, Scully, Ross, Strachan, Yule, Megginson (Anderson 85), Masson (Adeyemo 90), McIntosh (McAllister 72), Fyvie.

Subs: McKenzie.

Referee: Scott Lambie.

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