DEREK Gaston says he instinctively knew he had helped Morton towards their impressive 2-1 win over Queen of the South after making some vital saves in the second half as Queens piled on the pressure.

The 30-year-old made a handful of spectacular stops to keep Ton in the lead — most notably a particularly sublime parry to keep out a Stephen Dobbie free-kick which he pushed off the outside of the woodwork.

Ton eventually held on thanks to Gaston and his back four and the goalkeeper was delighted to make a strong contribution to his side’s valuable three points.

He told the Tele: “I knew myself how big the saves were at the time.

“I made some good ones towards the end of the game and I knew at the time that it was going to give us a really good chance of holding out to get the win because they probably weren’t going to get many more chances after that.

“With a few minutes to go after I made the saves, I knew we were going to win the match.”

Morton boss Jim Duffy singled Gaston out for special praise at full-time in his post-match comments, and the stopper told how his boss also stressed in the dressing room at the whistle just how crucial his saves were to the team.

He said: “I haven’t had a chance to see the manager’s comments to the media from after the game or anything like that but he did praise me in the dressing room after the game. 

“He said that I played a big part in us getting the win and praised me for making a few big saves.

“It’s a good thing when the manager comes out and gives you a bit of credit for helping the team get the three points and it gives you that feel-good factor to know that you’ve helped the team along and played your part.”

Gaston hopes Saturday’s win over the Doonhamers will add to the momentum after Ton’s 3-2 win over Dunfermline last weekend as they look to build up a head of steam.

He added: “After coming back in a difficult game against Dunfermline last week I think it was important to continue that to show it wasn’t just a one-off. 

“We want to put a string of results together and we’ve managed to go to Queen of the South and get a good win. 

“That’s back-to-back wins and that’s pleasing.”