One team in Glasgow Partick Thistle

On a cold, wet and miserable afternoon at Firhill, the football matched the weather as a poor performance meant Thistle had to rely on a late Simon Donnelly free-kick to earn a scarcely deserved point after Jim Thomson had headed the visitors in front.

Manager Dick Campbell made a number of alterations from the side that lost at Gretna last weekend, Robertson and McConalogue making rare starts with McCulloch and Keogh dropping out. These changes resulted in Billy Gibson and Stevie Campbell moving to right and left-back respectively, Young dropping into left midfield with McConalogue partnering Roberts in attack. Queens also made changes switching to a 4-4-2 formation, Jim Thomson, Scally, and Roberston all returned to the starting line-up and new loan signing Craig Hinchliffe took over in goal from Colin Scott.

And it was the visitor’s who started the match strongly, taking the game to Thistle right from the kick off and twice coming close in the opening ten minutes. Kenny Arthur was called into action to block a close range effort from Robertson, then Barrowman collected a pass inside the area but angled his low shot just wide of Arthur’s far post.

There were 12 minutes on the clock before Thistle launched their first meaningful attack of the game but Donnelly’s through ball found McConalogue just offside, and the keeper touched his effort round the post anyway.

Queens continued to dominate the early stages and five minutes later they were on the attack again when both Weir and Robertson took advantage of a Jags defence that looked at sixes and sevens to drive low crosses into the box, but there were no takers for the men in blue.

There was a half-chance for Roberts at the other end after Young had combined with McConalogue to set him up, but although well hit, his 20-yard drive flashed wide of target. Just short of the half-hour mark an excellent defensive header from Billy Gibson denied Robertson an opportunity in front of goal after he’d been picked out by Barrowman’s cross, but by this stage of the game it was a more balanced encounter with Queens having failed to make anything much of their early dominance.

However, the visitors really should have opened the scoring just before half-time when Barrowman again did well on the right, he took his time before cutting the ball back from the by-line for Scally to run onto, but the former Falkirk midfielder dragged his shot wide with only the keeper to beat.

The second 45 minutes was much more evenly contested but early on the conditions clearly weren’t helping the quality of football on the park as both sides struggled to contend with the wet surface. Along with referee Willie Collum’s inability to allow any sort of advantage it was making for a very scrappy game.

Midfield duo Gibson and Brady both had chances from the edge of the area as Thistle searched for the opener, but it was Queens defender Jim Thomson who came closest on 62 minutes when he held off the challenge of Robertson to get his head to Scally’s cross, but his header landed on top of the Thistle net.

A couple of minutes later Derek Young was the meat in the middle of a defensive sandwich when he tried to collect a ball inside the penalty box, but despite his complaints the ref waved play on, before stopping the game to allow treatment to one of the defenders who’d injured himself in the collision. The ref caused further consternation when he waved the player back on deep in his own half just in time to close down Young again, the Jags player did manage to retain possession but Thomson was on hand to stop Donnelly from setting up Jimmy Gibson for a shot.

The game had started to open up now and Jimmy Gibson won a free-kick right on the edge of the area after he’d been felled while running onto a loose ball, but without McCulloch on the field, Thistle’s set pieces were poor throughout the game and Young failed to improve them when his effort clipped the wall and spun into the arms of the keeper.

Queens had been just as poor as Thistle in the second half but just as the game was looking increasingly likely to limp to a goalless conclusion, the visitors took the lead with just 8 minutes left on the clock. Sub Warren Moon whipped in a terrific free kick from the right and captain Jim Thomson rose to bullet a header past Arthur into the roof of the net.

The delirious away support huddled behind the goal must have been confident of picking up their first away win of the season, but one thing the Thistle team doesn’t lack these days is character and just three minutes later they were back on level terms. The Jags had been awarded another free kick on the edge of the area, and this time Simon Donnelly stepped up to show the others how it should be done by curling a superb shot over the wall and into the top corner.

It was somewhat cruel on Queen of the South as it was probably only the third direct shot at goal Thistle had managed all afternoon, but they could have been made to pay even more when the Jags threatened again right at the death. A quick break saw Strachan spread the ball wide to Jimmy Gibson and he fed Donnelly who’d made a great overlapping run down the left wing, but as he closed in on goal instead of trying to beat the keeper from a tight angle he opted to square it and his pass failed to reach a Thistle player and the chance was gone.

The Jags will be happy with a point though, as it was a very disappointing performance, and they scarcely even deserved that. Queens played far better than they have in recent away games, and if they’d been a half decent team Thistle would probably have been behind long before they were today. The draw might have extended their recent unbeaten run at home, but if the performances don’t start to pick up soon, it won’t last for much longer.

Man of the match:
JOHN ROBERTSON - There wasn’t really anyone in red and yellow who would be that happy with their own performance today, but the one positive from the game was the display of Robertson in the centre of defence. He’s not as commanding as Keogh in the air, but he belied the fact that it was his first game in months by putting in a solid and assured performance, let’s just hope he can put his injury woes behind him.

Thistle: Arthur 6, Robertson 7, Campbell 6, Brady 6, Boyd 6, B Gibson 5 (Ferguson 84), J Gibson 6, Donnelly 6, Young 6 (Strachan 78), Roberts 6, McConalogue 5 (G Gibson 70).
Unused subs; Tuffey, McCulloch

QOS: Hinchcliffe, Paton, Swift, Lauchlan, Scally, J Thomson, Robertson (Moon 79), Weir (A Thomson 74), Barrowman, O’Neil, Gibson (Callaghan 67).
Unused subs; Scott, Henderson.