Match Report
On a cold and ever so slightly misty afternoon manager Ian McCall made once changed from the side that lost to Dundee for this fixture with Airdrie United. After missing the last two games Paul Paton returned at right back with John Robertson the man dropping to the bench to accommodate Paton's return.
There were just 80 seconds on the clock when Thistle fell a goal behind. A shot from the edge of the box from John Baird struck the inside of Jonny Tuffey's post and entered the net at the opposite corner.
Thistle's initial response to the loss of such an early goal was positive although there were no clear cut openings either. It was the home side, however, that would come close to adding to the score in the 16th minute. An excellent piece of trickery at the edge of the box from Ricky Waddell gives him a shooting chance but this time his shot was straight at Jonny Tuffey.
It wasn't until the 19th minute that Thistle managed their first effort on the Airdrie United goal. A Paul Paton free kick from the left hand side was headed into the path of Stephen McKeown by Mark Corcoran but McKeown couldn't keep his shot down.
A Simon Donnelly shot suffered the same fate two minutes later after Steve Lovell had chested a pass into his path at the edge of the box.
It was Simon Donnelly that brought Thistle level in the 26th minute. Steve Lovell was fouled some 25 yards from goal and Donnelly's well placed free kick found the corner of the net and Donnelly had his eighth goal of the season.
Three minutes later Thistle were unfortunate not to be in front. Mark Corcoran set up Stephen McKeown and his shot was deflected wide for a corner.
As Thistle stepped up the pace David Rowson was unlucky not to score on the half hour mark. His powerful drive stung the hands of Robertson in the Airdrie goal and although Rowson managed to gather the rebound this time his shot lacked power.
The home side were still very much a threat and were very close to re-establishing their lead in the 35th minute. Lagana striking the base of Tuffey's left hand post. A few minutes later John Baird was only just railed to connect with a Trouten through ball.
It was Thistle though that took the lead on the stroke of half-time. A lovely interchange of passes left Stephen McKeown was just Robertson to beat which he did with some aplomb.
After conceding a goal just 80 seconds into the first half Thistle took only marginally less time to score themselves at the start of the second half. Steve Lovell gathered a through ball and confidently fired low into the net.
If Thistle thought that goal had secured the points they were in for a rude surprise just five minutes after Lovell's goal. An Airdrie corner was flicked on and although Tuffey produced an excellent save to keep the ball out initially John Baird fired the loose ball high into the Thistle net.
It took Thistle though just four minutes to restore their two goal lead and Lovell was again the scorer. Once more he collected an excellent threaded pass and once more he made no mistake with a controlled finish.
Two minutes later he was denied a hat-trick by the combined efforts of the post and Robertson. The Airdrie keeper touching Lovell's effort after a Cairney assist onto the post.
Chris Erskine, a replacement for an injured Mark Corcoran, was in the thick of things as Thistle looked likely to score every time they came forward. Firstly he drilled a low shot across goal before he was denied by the legs of Robertson.
A fifth goal arrived for Thistle in the 66th minute and it was fitting that Chris Erskine played a significant part in it. He collected a poor clearance from Robertson with Simon Donnelly in turn setting up Paul Cairney who rolled the ball into the net.
The cries of "we want six" came up from the Thistle fans and we nearly had a sixth in the 67th minute but Robertson was able to beat out a shot from the edge of the box.
To Airdrie's credit they never gave up and a series of attack minded substitutions gave them plenty of options in and around the Thistle goal. You sensed, however, it was not to be their day when sub Paul Keegan somehow headed over an empty goal with ten minutes remaining.
