One team in Glasgow Partick Thistle

On the evidence of this game, Thistle’s sixth consecutive league draw at Firhill, it’s easy to see why both sides are already a country mile behind the league leaders. To be fair to Clyde, after successive defeats against Thistle they put in a much-improved performance today, but overall this was a game lacking in quality.

New signing Stephen McKeown was one of three changes to the Thistle side, Storey and Roberts also returning to the starting line-up as out went Di Giacomo, Kinniburgh and Twaddle. Clyde welcomed Dougie Imrie back from suspension but he played deeper than normal as they chose to flood the midfield with Neil McGregor pushed forward into a sitting midfield role, and Gary Arbuckle ploughing a lone furlough up front.

Their tactics paid off in the first half as they dominated possession, taking the game by the scruff of the neck and pushing Thistle back right from the off. Thistle struggled to get out of their own half and on the few occasions they did, invariably harried by the opposition, a stray pass soon gifted possession straight back to the visitors.

The opening goal didn’t come until the 26th minute, but it wasn’t for Clyde’s want of trying. As early as the fourth minute McGregor fired narrowly over the bar after being set up by Imrie, and then Ruari MacLennan should have done better with a volley.

With the corner count increasing by the minute, Hinchcliffe came to the rescue for Thistle when he scooped McKeown’s goal bound header over the bar. The same player then got his head to another corner only for Storey to boot it clear on the line.

However, the visitors finally got the goal their play deserved when Hinchcliffe’s goal kick was firmly headed straight back towards him, Arbuckle ran onto the ball and as he raced through on goal, Hinchcliffe made the decision to rush from his line but wasn’t quick or decisive enough making it easy for Arbuckle to coolly lob the ball over him and into the empty net.

The goal did at least have the effect of stinging Thistle into action and they finally threatened the Clyde goal in the 30th minute when McKeown ran onto a pass inside the penalty area but instead of lashing the ball into the roof of the net, he blasted over the bar.

His involvement in the game ended soon after due to injury and with the defence looking suspect, McCall chose to alter things with Twaddle coming on to join Archibald and Harkins at the back and Storey moving into McKeown’s midfield role. Fortunately by this time Thistle were back on level terms, Storey’s free kick into the danger area found the unmarked Roberts at the back post and he steered the ball past Hutton to level the scores.

McCall altered things again at half-time, Murray replacing the ineffective McKinlay on the left and seeming to change to a more attacking 4-4-2 formation with Murray at times joining the front two. It certainly made the Jags a more potent force in the second half, though in part that was also thanks to Clyde being unable to keep up the high-workrate of their first half display.

Liam Buchanan should have boosted his goal tally for the season and edged Thistle in front within five minutes of the restart but after running onto Roberts’ flick, with only the keeper to beat he flashed a low drive across the face of the goal and by the far post.

Thistle had a number of promising moves fail to come to anything and it wasn’t until the 73rd minute when the perseverance of Murray enabled him to emerge with the ball following a tussle with Bestvina on the by-line, he looked up and picked out Roberts with a cross, but the veteran striker got too much downward direction into his header and from close range it agonisingly bounced up and over the bar.

Both sides pushed forward in search of a late winner, but apart from a McGowan free kick that flashed across the Thistle goal, neither side looked like scoring again, and Thistle’s chances of a late goal receded further when Chaplain was harshly dismissed for a second bookable offence.

Booked inside the opening minutes for a mistimed challenge on Imrie with the ref wishing to lay down a marker to the players, he lost possession in the middle of the park and took a half-hearted swipe to try and win the ball back, which the referee decided was enough to merit a booking in a game that had barely seen a single bad tackle.

It’s not a match that will live long in the memory but on a positive note, despite not playing at all well, Thistle still managed to take a point from the game. The lack of home wins is beginning to become a bit of a problem though, and it remains to be seen if that is something that can be fixed in the transfer window.

Man of the match: Mark Roberts