Greenock Morton and Partick Thistle played out a goalless draw at Cappielow in a contest that did not suffer from a lack of endeavor but where a touch of guile was conspicuous by its absence.
Here are three things we learned from the day’s only cinch Championship fixture.
As you were in title race
Following on from Queen’s Park’s narrow 1-0 win over Cove Rangers on Friday night, this was a match that both teams had to win to keep up the pressure on the Spiders and maintain their respective title tilts.
Eight points separated the Jags in fourth and the league leaders prior to kick-off – with Owen Coyle’s side having played an extra game – while Morton were two points further back in fifth.
Perhaps, then, it was no surprise that this one finished goalless. With the margin for error so narrow, it seemed that both sets of players were reluctant to commit forwards in numbers and neither goalkeeper was seriously tested by the time the first half drew to a close.
Both teams will be happy enough to have gained a point here but there will surely be a few players on both sides ruing what might have been. The draw lifts the Jags above Ayr into third and Morton won’t turn their noses up at another point gained, but both teams really could have used all three.
Injuries at the back leave Thistle short of options
Connor McAvoy has caught the eye recently but this clash could be the last time supporters see him in red and yellow. The Scotland Under-21 internationalist was Thistle’s only January addition, joining on loan from Fulham on deadline day, and the centre-half has displayed a maturity that belies his tender years.
McAvoy was paired alongside Aaron Muirhead in central defence but neither of the duo would see out the first half. The latter looked to have pulled a muscle as he desperately lunged after the ball to deny a clear goal-scoring opportunity and was replaced by Kevin Holt early on; the former had to be stretchered off towards the end of the opening 45 minutes, with Darren Brownlie coming on in his stead.
Thistle are not blessed with a multitude of options at the back and Doolan will be hoping Muirhead, at the very least, makes a speedy recovery to keep the Jags’ bid for promotion on track. An injury or suspension for Holt or Brownlie would leave a sizeable hole to be filled and it isn’t clear who could step into the breach.
Tensions run high as emotions spill over
Most of this contest was played in a fairly gentlemanly spirit before frustration came to the fore. It started when Thistle gained a corner with 20 minutes to go when Graham and Jack Baird started squaring up to each other, with their efforts rewarded with a yellow card each.
Barely a minute later and Scott Tiffoney and Dougie Imrie joined them in the book. The ball had gone out for a throw-in and the Morton manager scooped the ball into his arms and shielded it from Tiffoney, prompting a furious reaction from the Thistle winger as he shoved Imrie to try and win it back.
Cynical challenges from Jack McMillan, Kyle Turner and Kevin Holt that halted Morton counter-attacks before they could get going were met with more yellow cards for the visitors – and howls of derision from the home crowd. Morton's Calum Waters joined them with a poorly-timed tackle late on.
This is a fixture that has regularly had a bit of needle about it in recent years so perhaps the game’s ill-tempered finale shouldn’t have raised too many eyebrows.
