IAN MURRAY hopes Dumbarton can halt their Championship slump when they host promotion chasing Queen of the South this afternoon.

The Sons have lost six of their last seven second tier outings, with the 3-3 draw at Falkirk last month the only time they have added points to their tally in 2015.

That poor run of form has seen them slip closer to the relegation zone and they are now just five points clear of Alloa and Cowdenbeath at the foot of the table.

The Wasps visit the Rock next weekend for a crunch basement battle and boss Murray is determined to kick-start their push for safety against the Doonhamers this afternoon.

He said: "Queens will be keen to get their own defeat against Hearts last week out of their system and for our part, we need to get the Easter Road result and performance. Hibs are flying and last Saturday we simply didn't turn up.

"There are 33 points up for grabs between now and the end of the season and we have a good idea of what we need to arrive at to see us safe in the Championship.

"With two games back-to-back at home, we have an opportunity and it would be great to break our current cycle.

"Queens though are going well. They lost narrowly to a very good Hearts team last weekend and have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, so our task is a difficult one.

"We are confident going into the game and are looking forward to it."