Match Report
As expected Jackie McNamara came went straight into the Thistle starting eleven to make his Jags debut but Ian McCall made changes to his side elsewhere as well. Paul Paton, Greg Shields and Steve Lovell all making returns to the starting eleven. On the bench there was a slot for a fit again Stephen McKeown and he was joined by sub keeper Bryn Halliwell, Simon Donnelly, Chris Erskine and Martyn Corrigan.
The first chance of this game came Thistle's way. Thistle won a free kick wide on the left hand side which was taken by new boy Jackie McNamara. McNamara's free kick picked out Alan Archibald whose reaction when his header went wide said it all about just how good a chance Archibald had thought had been.
A minute later Thistle found themselves trailing. Jonny Tuffey did well to clear a Griffiths cross but the ball dropped to Eric Paton and his shot from a few yards inside the box flew, perhaps with the aid of a deflection, into the back of the Thistle net.
Two minutes later Dundee were close to another goal when a Harkins corner was headed down but Gary MacKenzie's effort was too high.
A few isolated raids on the Thistle goal the remainder of the half though belonged to the away side.
In the 13th minute Steve Lovell found himself clear of the Dundee defence and with Liam Buchanan available to his left he was perhaps caught in two minds. At any rate his hesitation allowed a Dundee defender to block when Lovell did finally shoot for goal.
Paul Cairney tried his luck from 30 yards with a shot that Douglas allowed to squirm from his grasp and Bryan Hodge was only marginally off target after being set up by Cairney as a pressing Thistle side started to take the game by the scruff of the net.
In the 27th minute an sweeping move involving Bryan Hodge and Liam Buchanan finished with the latter's pass being sent wide of goal by Paul Cairney who was at the heart of many of Thistle's thrusts towards the Dundee goal.
There was no Thistle goal though although Liam Buchanan did have the ball in the net in the 28th minute only for play to be halted for a previous infringement on Dundee keeper Douglas.
Though a goal down Thistle weren't losing heart and in 34th minute were close once more to an equaliser when Alan Archibald saw a shot blocked following a near post Ryan Conroy corner.
The last serious action of the half saw Steve Lovell lift a shot over the bar after a through ball had again given the striker a clear look at the Dundee goal.
A feature of these matches this season has been a Dundee goal in the early stages of the second half and they were nearly at it again in this match. Leigh Griffiths got the better of Paul Paton before squaring the ball to Ben Hutchinson. Hutchinson though was unable to hit target with Tuffey looking beaten.
The second half was proving to be a much more balanced affair but Thistle were close to an equaliser in the 64th minute. Steve Lovell just failing to get on the end of a fantastic left wing Conroy cross.
Gary Harkins had been a fairly anonymous figure up to this point but in the 73rd minute he underlined the fact that he remained a dangerous player all the same. A mazy run took him deep into the Thistle box but the danger was averted when Archibald was able to hack Harkins' cross to safety.
Clear cut chances were becoming rare for either side but Chris Erskine managed a shot in target in the 78th minute but it lacked power and was straight at Douglas in any case.
Play swiftly moved to the other end and a Gary Harkins shot shaved Jonny Tuffey's left hand post.
With the game in injury time Thistle's last chance of salvaging a point vanished. Ryan Conroy went down inside the Dundee box but there was no penalty. Seconds later Paul Paton lashed a shot over the bar but despite the defiant chants from the Thistle fans it was another hard luck Dundee defeat.
