DAVID Hopkin heaped praise on his star trio of Nicky Cadden, Aidan Nesbitt and Kalvin Orsi after they caused havoc in the 4-0 rout over Queen of the South.

The Ton boss was delighted as the three forwards had a significant impact on proceedings.

Cadden and Nesbitt netted a crucial goal each and the former grabbed two assists on top of that while Orsi made a nuisance of himself up front.

Hopkin told the Tele: “We always knew it was going to be a tough game and we had a good result on Tuesday [against Ayr United] that took a lot out of some of the players.

“We needed to change one or two but we started the game very well and were on the front foot from the start.

“Kalvin Orsi, with the form that he’s in, gives people a hard time.

“He works the line and the defenders very well and I thought he, along with the likes of Nicky Cadden and Aidan Nesbitt, were outstanding in very difficult conditions.

“I was delighted that they both got their goal but I’ve got to give every single one of my players credit.

“We’re starting to build a team now and we told the players around three or four weeks ago the target that they had to reach to stay in the league, because that was our aim at the start of the season and it’s not changed.

“We got another three points and we’re another step closer to that target, so I’m delighted.”

The Ton manager hailed the attitude of his squad and believes that has had a big impact in the turnaround over recent weeks.

He hailed the players’ character after bouncing back from a morale-deflating draw against Alloa.

He said: “It’s been a great turnaround.

“We’ve drawn four games and in all honesty we could’ve probably won some of those.

“When you drop points, especially like the two we did against Alloa, it shows you the character that we’ve got in the dressing room to bounce back and win two games away like that.

“We went to a difficult venue [Somerset Park] in midweek and came away with a really valuable three points and when we came to Palmerston the least we wanted was a point, because we need to be dealing with the teams that are below us and keep them there.”