Queen's Park 3-5 Dundee: Gary Bowyer's men promoted to Scottish Premiership
- Published
The moment Dundee lifted the Scottish Championship trophy
Dundee edged an astonishing eight-goal, winner-takes-all title decider against Queen's Park to clinch promotion back to the Scottish Premiership.
Second-half strikes from Lyall Cameron and Luke McCowan got Gary Bowyer's men over the line, but only after a scarcely-believable encounter that was already 3-3 after a manic first half.
McCowan's wonderful individual effort clinched the title at the first attempt for Dundee, while Queen's will have to go through the play-offs to secure a third straight promotion.
Queen's Park, having at one point looked like going up, finish third and will face Partick Thistle at Firhill on Tuesday in the first leg of the play-off quarter-final.
But up until Dundee's fifth goal, these sides delivered an epic conclusion to a Championship season which went to the final day with nine of the 10 teams not knowing what division they would be playing in next term.
"Brilliant, magnificent effort from the players tonight, and the whole season," a breathless Bowyer told BBC Scotland.
"Everybody said Dundee are favourites and Dundee should do this and that, but you've got to go out and do it, and they went out and did it!"
Captain Ryan Sweeney described the game as "absolutely mental".
"I think it was a fitting way to end the league, the top two come together on the final day and slog it out like that. It's what this league's all about. It's incredible."
The drama started when Alex Jakubiak gave Dundee a third-minute lead, but centre-back Charlie Fox levelled with one of the goals of the season, before Connor Shields smashed Queen's ahead two minutes later.
Lee Ashcroft clobbered in an equaliser for Dundee, before a strange 17-minute spell without a goal.
But the drama restarted in earnest when Dundee's Zach Robinson scrappily forced the ball in, only for Fox to plant a header past Adam Legzdins to make it 3-3 in first-half stoppage time.
Queen's Park - seeking the victory needed to end a 65-year top-flight absence - went close to edging in front again after the break, but Dundee goalkeeper Adam Legzdins pushed away Shields' powerful effort.
And then Cameron, the homegrown hero, latched on to Jakubiak's flick to finish neatly past Calum Ferrie to put Dundee in the driving seat once more.
At that point there was still 35 minutes left, but as both sides started to feel the effects of a frantic match, Dundee retreated slightly, knowing they only needed a draw to get back to the top flight.
But in the end they had the more clinical touch anyway, as McCowan bobbed and weaved his way into the box before curling a wonderful effort into the corner to spark jubilant scenes among the Dundee fans behind the goal.
Watch Dundee win eight-goal thriller against Queen's Park to win title
'You couldn't have scripted it better' - reaction
Dundee manager Gary Bowyer: "I'm delighted for the players and staff. I've got nothing but praise for them all. You couldn't have scripted it any better.
"The goals we conceded were ridiculous! But it was brilliant. It's unfair Queen's Park don't come up with us. We wish them all the best."
Dundee managing director John Nelms: "All the credit to the players, they fought to the very end. It means we're back to where we think we should be, we should always be in the top flight.
"Now, we have a long way to go, that work's already started. We've got a long summer."
Queen's Park manager Owen Coyle: "We know what we've got in our team. I think probably over the course of the season our Achilles heel has been defending situations that we certainly didn't do tonight.
"In terms of passing and controlling the ball, what we want to do and what we want to develop at the club, there was so much to be pleased about in that aspect.
"The bottom line is we've lost the game that could have made us champions. We have to get to the Premiership now, through the play-offs, the hard way."