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Honour’s even at Firhill as Saints put one hand on the Championship trophy.
In a match that lacked attacking cutting edge in Glasgow, this goalless draw will be more welcome for visitors St Johnstone than Partick Thistle.
Saints maintained their eight-point lead at the top of the Championship, albeit having played a game more, after their goalless draw with the Jags. Mark Wilson’s side were noticeably plagued by injuries as they struggled to create chances in front of over 6,000 fans at Firhill. Meanwhile, it was a pleasing performance and result for Simo Valakari, whose St Johnstone side continue to distance themselves from the pack as league leaders.
Make no mistake about it, for Thistle, this match was a must win in the must-win category. Certainly a must not lose. With so much at stake, it was an understandably cagey start to proceedings, but the visitors looked more comfortable under the Friday night Maryhill floodlights. The experienced Saints captain Jason Holt controlled the midfield, helping his side ease into the game.
It was a win or bust fixture for Mark Wilson's men in the Championship title race. | SNS GroupIn a first half lacking in attacking quality, Ruari Paton had several early half-chances but never looked like troubling Josh Clarke in the Jags goal. The Saints striker was noticeably getting more and more frustrated as the half wore on with his lack of service.
Ben Stanway was a notable squad omission in the Scotland under 21 squad given his rich vein of form in the second tier. Despite Thistle’s early passivity, it was him who had the best chance of the opening 45, when his curled effort from the edge of the box had Saints keeper Toby Steward beaten, but was cleared off the line by the alert Jack Baird.
In their inferior league position, the onus was on Thistle to find their groove in the second half. While the game hadn’t turned into a thriller for the neutrals in front of the BBC cameras, a point was far more valuable to the visitors.
St Johnstone stopper Toby Steward had very little to do at Firhill. | SNS GroupIt certainly became more lively after the break. Partick striker Alex Samuel enjoyed his physical battle with defender Cheick Diabate all evening. Samuel had his first sight of goal in the 50th minute but watched it go straight into the arms of the stationary Steward. At the other end, it was bodies on the line as Sam Stanton’s shot was cleared by the flying Patrick Reading.
As the game opened up, St Johnstone looked far more dangerous. On the hour mark, Paton’s free kick from the left hand side was inches from the head of Morgan Boyes. Any contact would’ve been a certain goal. The near miss saw Wilson look to his bench but the Saints onslaught continued.
The visitors were perhaps lucky to keep 11 men on the field as Aidan Fitzpatrick appeared to be elbowed by Baird in the second half but referee Duncan Nicholson was unmoved despite the defender being on a yellow.
Stanway, who was Thistle’s main goal threat all night, had another chance at the death, but saw his shot go just wide of the post. The hosts finally clicked into gear with 10 minutes to go and had a flurry of corners. That being said, their short corner routine in stoppage time which was intercepted by the Saints summed up their evening as the home fans voiced their frustration as the full time whistle was blown.
As for the visitors, a point must feel like a win as cries of “we’re going to win the league” came from the away end.