Brian Graham and Mark Wilson are still searching for their first win as the interim management team at Partick Thistle after the Jags spurned a one-goal lead against Livingston at Firhill on Friday night.
A victory for David Martindale’s men would have lifted them to the very top of the Championship standings – for the best part of 24 hours, at least – but it would prove to be a missed opportunity for the men from West Lothian.
Graham opened the scoring midway through the first half to give the Jags the early advantage, and Livi offered little in the way of a response until Robbie Muirhead restored parity late on in the second half.
Graham and Wilson made two changes to the starting XI that drew 1-1 at home to Airdrieonians last weekend. Luke McBeth and Scott Martin replaced Ben Stanway and Kyle Turner in midfield, while this week’s new arrivals – Alex Jakubiak and Sean Kelly – were granted a place on the bench.
The home fans, led by the ultras in the John Lambie Stand, were vociferous from the very first kick, generating a rowdy atmosphere under the Firhill lights.
The Jags started positively as the contest unfolded at a fine pace from the get-go. A swift and well-executed counter-attack from Thistle inside the first few minutes resulted in Martin drilling a low ball across the face of goal that was hastily hacked clear; an early warning from the hosts, even if it did not produce an effort on Livingston’s goal.
In the ninth minute – when else? – there was also a touching moment as the supporters in the Lambie paid tribute to Kris Doolan, making it clear that although his management stint at Firhill ended in disappointment, his legacy as a Partick Thistle great remains secure. A banner which read ‘Thank you Kris Doolan – player, leader legend’ was unfurled, accompanied by a rendition of ‘Here’s to you Kris Doolan, Thistle loves you more than you will know’.
Back on the park, the two sides wrestled for supremacy but neither team was able to seize it. There was no shortage of endeavour, but the two sets of players struggled to break each other down. A rare sight of goal presented itself to Logan Chalmers 20 minutes in around 20 yards from goal, but the winger’s effort blazed harmlessly over the bar.
Neither goalkeeper had been called into action when almost precisely midway through the first half, the Jags took the lead through Graham. Chalmers collected the ball on the right, cut inside onto his favoured left foot as he is wont to do and floated a terrific delivery towards the back post where Graham was lurking. His marker missed his header, and the Thistle skipper slammed the ball home first time to hand his side the lead.
Chances remained at a premium, although Graham will have been disappointed not to at least have tested Jerome Prior in the visitors’ goal 10 minutes before the break. Chalmers was again the provider, picking out the centre-forward from a free kick out wide, only for Graham to volley over from 15 yards.
When the half-time whistle rang out, Livi could have few complaints about the scoreline. They had competed well and the defence was proving difficult to breach – this is a Martindale team, after all – but they had failed to lay a glove on their opponents. In truth, they’d barely had a whiff of goal.
Martindale clearly concurred as he made a change at the break, with Daniel Finlayson coming on for Hearts loanee Macaulay Tait. The second half began in much the same way the first ended, with the Jags’ relentless pressing from the front preventing Livi from really getting going.
Graham came within inches of grabbing his second goal of the evening when he rose highest to meet an inviting cross 10 minutes after the restart, only for the ball to strike the outside of the post and trickle behind for a goal kick to the visitors’ relief.
The Jags continued to push for a second and Graham came close with another close-range header that Prior did well to keep out. At the other end, home goalkeeper Lewis Budinauckas still hadn’t made a solitary save with the best part of 70 minutes played.
Muirhead fired a warning shot with a first-time effort that was deflected off-target as the match entered its closing stages, and it was not heeded by the home players. With a little over 10 minutes to go, another cross from the left met the big centre-forward, who powered his header past Budinauckas for 1-1.
The momentum was now unquestionably with the away side now as they bombarded the Thistle box with cross after cross in search of that all-important winner. The home defence held firm though as the match finished one apiece, with the two teams settling for a share of the spoils.
