SUBSTITUTE Simon Lynch scored a last-minute goal to ease Airdrie's relegation worries and consign Clyde to the Second Division.
Partick Thistle made their intentions clear with forwards Simon Donnelly, Kris Doolan and Liam Buchanan all in the sta
rting line-up. Twice in the first 10 minutes Thistle came close through Marc Twaddle and Buchanan as they laid siege to the Airdrie goal in the hope of pulling off an unlikely coup at the top of the First Division.
Airdrie's Stephen Mckenna went into referee Crawford Allan's book in 19 minutes for a lunge on Chaplain. The Thistle midfielder played no further part, replaced by Paul Paton.
The visitors then came close when Kevin McDonald shot just over the bar from 18 yards.
With news filtering through from Perth that the league leaders had fallen behind to Morton, the Firhill faithful tried to urge their team on, but Thistle's joy was short-lived. Airdrie were not here to make up the numbers, and fighting for their First Division status, their combative style was causing Thistle some problems.
After half an hour Thistle again closed-in on the Airdrie goal but Buchanan failed to connect with a crossed ball and from the scramble that followed Twaddle's effort was weak.
Three minutes from the interval Buchanan's cross nearly gave Thistle the vital first goal, but Stephen Robertson tipped the ball away to safety. Airdrie had a penalty claim after the ball looked to have struck a Thistle defender's hand with 15 minutes left, but play was waved on.
With the game seeming to be heading for a draw Thistle were caught cold at the back and Lynch knocked home from close range.
The full article contains 302 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
