THE crowd of Queen of the South supporters that gathered on the pitch at 9.40pm last night called out for the champions.

They will feel as though they have been waiting all season.

The news that Queens clinched the Irn-Bru Second Division title was met with an orderly pitch invasion at Station Park last night, Forfar Athletic having agreed to lease out their artificial surface so that Brechin City can catch up on a backlog of fixtures.

The steady procession of fans seemed appropriate given how unflustered the Dumfries side have been in securing an immediate return to the first division; a 6-0 win over third-place Brechin moving them 27 points clear and with a Ramsdens Cup final still to come next month.

The thrill of a title win means that a team will always feel that their efforts are unique but there was a sense of tradition in how the championship was settled last night. Queens won their two previous championships at Station Park – in 1951 and 2002 – and their affinity for the place will only have grown now after this one.

Their latest success will certainly prove hard to top. This season has long been a procession for the Dumfries side but last night was all about business; doubles from Nicky Clark and Michael Paton, and an own goal from Ewan Moyes, before half-time ensuring they can no longer be caught in the league by the Angus side, who have played four games fewer. Gavin Reilly then added a sixth after the break just for good measure. "The boys totally deserve it," said Allan Johnston, the Queens manager. "That is the sort of performance they have put on all season."

Fans have the luxury to debate that now and it took Clark just 50 seconds to settle things on the pitch. Chris Mitchell delivered a free-kick towards the back post and the Queens striker thumped in a volley which was helped over the line by Gerry McLauchlan. Paton provided a similarly impressive finish when he flashed a shot past Michael Andrews, the Brechin goalkeeper, two minutes later.

The two goals were celebrated without restraint but there is a hardy resolve to Johnston's side, too, and at times Brechin were treated brusquely. When Alan Trouten sought to break forward he was enveloped by three blue shirts, while Andy Jackson was also denied a sense of purpose.

Queens contained the action, with most of it kept in the Brechin area. Another Mitchell free-kick reared up off the heel of Moyes and sailed over Andrews for their third goal before Paton put a shine on his performance with a wonderful fourth. The forward had drifted since his release by Aberdeen but he has appeared to have regained some of his impertinence since moving to Palmerston – juggling the ball on his thigh before thumping a volley into the top corner of the net. Clark turned in number five just before the break.

Queens surrendered a place in the first division meekly last season and those traumas can still be felt. At times, the idea of clearing snow off a pitch in Serbia would have served as light relief. The fans were entitled to enjoy this night, then, and Andrews was cheered after he retrieved a Clark header from the snow.

Their side pandered to them further after the break; Reilly rolling in a sixth before the hour after he charged down the Brechin goalkeeper. Some fans threw snow into the air like makeshift confetti and it barely seemed to register with them that McLauchlan was sent off after 77 minutes for cementing Clark.

The Brechin defender will not be around when the same two sides go at it again on Saturday at Palmerston. The other difference is Queens will run out as champions.