Brian Graham rued Partick Thistle’s profligacy as the Maryhill club slipped to a 2-1 defeat away at Airdrieonians.
Graham, who has been placed in temporary charge of the first team alongside Under-18s manager Mark Wilson, oversaw his first defeat as the Jags’ player/manager at the Albert Bartlett Stadium.
The match itself was open and entertaining, and in truth either side could have claimed all three points, but it was Chris Mochrie’s brace for Airdrie – the second of which arrived in the 90th minute – that ultimately settled the contest.
“We’ve got to be really honest with ourselves,” Graham said. “In the first half, the guys at the top end of the pitch – myself included.
“We had other opportunities but we need to be more clinical.
“Overall we’re disappointed because we’d been on a very good run. But we need to dust ourselves down and go again on Monday.
“It’s maybe about picking the right pass at times and showing more composure in the final third. That was missing today.”
The match got off to a frenetic start with both teams intent on pressing high and playing out from the back, which made for a captivating spectacle. No one was afforded a moment’s peace on the ball, and neither side were able to seize control.
Both teams were fashioning decent opportunities with some regularity, but it was Thistle who should have taken the lead with 12 minutes on the clock. A mix-up at the back from Airdrie left goalkeeper Cade Melrose stranded at the far side of his own box as the ball was nudged into Graham’s path. With the goal at his mercy and defenders closing in, the striker took a touch when he really should have pulled the trigger. He was then bundled to the ground by a challenge from behind, but referee Greg Soutar was unmoved.
Airdrie came out for the second half and took the lead within minutes when the ball fell invitingly for Mochrie following a stramash in the Thistle area, and the attacker required no second invitation to slam the ball home.
Mochrie should have had his second of the afternoon on the hour mark when the ball was cut back to him 12 yards from goal, but this time he dragged his shot wide of the far post.
Ben Stanway and Stevie Lawless both came off the bench for the visitors to make their comebacks from injury, and the former marked it in style as he drew the Jags level with 10 minutes to play. An excellent cross from deep from Logan Chalmers looked very dangerous, and Stanway connected well with it to bullet a header past Melrose.
Both sides went for the win in the game’s closing stages but it was the Diamonds who emerged victorious courtesy of a well-executed counter-attack. With the Jags defence at sixes and sevens as Airdrie broke at pace, the ball was worked inside to the unmarked Mochrie, who had all day to pick his spot before slotting the ball home to secure back-to-back victories for Rhys McCabe’s men, who are now three points behind Dunfermline in ninth with four games to play.
“Full credit to the boys, the character again shown by the group was brilliant,” said the Airdrie player/manager. “We kept going right to the end and it was a quality finish.
“I thought it was going to be one of the days when Ben Stanway popped up and got the equaliser.
“We were good in spells, much more like us, as I call it, in terms of the way we wanted to play.
“I think Wednesday night [Airdrie beat Queen’s Park 5-0], we took a lot from that and continued it on to no disrespect to Queen's Park, but a much tougher opposition and a much tougher game.
“So I thought we were excellent. I thought the first half we created a lot of chances, the game kind of flipped on its side a little bit.
“Partick came into it in the second half, I thought they pinned us back. And then obviously when they get the equaliser, you're thinking it's one of them moments. But full credit to the boys to go on and grab the winner.”
