PARTICK Thistle did not get the win they were chasing at McDiarmid Park but their stubborn refusal to be defeated ensured the Division One title race will rumble on for some time yet.
When Steven Milne opened the scoring for long-time leaders St Johnstone, who still have a three-point cushion with a game in hand at the head of the table, it seemed they would see out the game, such had been their comfort during proceedings.
Whil
e Thistle had played plenty of good football up to the final third, they had not threatened seriously until four minutes from time when Harkins was afforded the space to bundle his way through before sending a deft effort beyond goalkeeper Alan Main.
St Johnstone will view this as a wasted opportunity and will now have to lift themselves for a crucial game against Dunfermline on Tuesday.
Thistle, knowing this was their big chance to overhaul the long-time league leaders, started brightly and held possession well in the opening stages. However, in their haste to attack, they neglected their defensive duties on 14 minutes when Liam Craig launched the ball into the penalty area and it was fortunate for the visitors that it broke for Stuart McCaffrey. The defender did well to steady himself in preparation to shoot but pulled his effort wide.
Partick looked the dominant force but St Johnstone had more menace and could have done more on 19 minutes had Alan Archibald not impeded Paul Sheerin's through-ball with an arm. He was booked, but escaped further punishment when Martin Hardie's free-kick flew into the hands of Jon Tuffey, the visiting goalkeeper.
The Perth men had another chance on 25 minutes when a great move between Collin Samuel and Kevin Moon resulted in Hardie getting a shooting chance. However, the midfielder, back in the side for the first time since December, lashed his effort wide. Samuel, who on his day can be devastating, should have opened the scoring three minutes before the break when Craig landed a corner on his head at the back post, but the Trinidad and Tobago striker somehow flicked his effort over the crossbar.
Thistle's inability to defend cross balls was shown up again on 54 minutes when Sheerin launched a free-kick into the penalty area for Kevin Rutkiewicz. The Saints defender looked destined to score with his head but angled his effort beyond Tuffey's far post.
The Jags had escaped punishment so many times during proceedings that it was inevitable their inability to deal with crosses would eventually haunt them and so it proved on 65 minutes. Another Craig effort into the box was met by Derek Holmes, whose flick fell perfectly for Milne and he calmly slotted the ball in from eight yards.
Partick's Marc Twaddle attempted to get his side back into the contest with a shot from distance which had Alan Main scrambling along his line, but the ball skidded wide. Ian McCall, the Thistle manager, tried to inject fresh impetus into his team by bringing on Kevin McKinlay in the closing stages and the change worked. It was a calamity from Saints, who did not clear their lines properly, allowing Harkins to break through on the edge of the penalty are before slamming a shot beyond Main.
They could have won the match on 87 minutes when Scott Chaplain, another substitute, found space inside the box but his shot was blocked by McCaffrey.
The full article contains 582 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
