Saturday 31st January, 2026 at 1:28am
Thistle left it late to secure a point away from home against St. Johnstone tonight with Oisin Smyth scoring both goals in a 2-2 draw.
Tonight’s game represented one of the biggest of this season’s Championship so far as Mark Wilson’s Jags were faced with the prospect of going top of the table if they could beat Simo Valakari’s side on their own patch.
Off the back of a 2-1 win over Ayr United, there was a single change to the first XI for Thistle as Logan Chalmers was replaced by Robbie Crawford, starting for the first time since 4th October.
Ts’oanelo Lets’osa remained absent through injury but new loan signing from St. Mirren Fraser Taylor was named among the substitutes.
St. Johnstone’s marquee January signing Josh Fowler took a place on the bench having joined from Queen’s Park the day before the match.
Alex Samuel had the first chance of the game in the opening two and a half minutes. Luke McBeth played a superb ball up for Tony Watt and an error in the Saints’ defence gave Alex Samuel a sight of goal from the angle but the Welshman’s effort rippled the side netting.
Thistle continued to pile on early pressure when Tony Watt received the ball in the box after some neat build-up play. He shifted onto his right foot but fired straight at Toby Steward who palmed away.
St. Johnstone’s first big chance of the game fell after 10 minutes when the ball came to skipper Jason Holt 15 yards out. He took a touch and shot but Dan O’Reilly was quickly out to deflect the shot behind for a corner.
A period of control followed for the hosts with more defensive blocks required to keep the league’s top scorers at bay, however, it would be the travelling Jags who would break the deadlock in the 41st minute.
After a Saints set-piece was cleared, Tony Watt pinched the ball from Reece McAlear and drove the length of the pitch, evading Jason Holt and entering the home side’s box. He was forced to turn back by a recovering defender but then noticed the arrival of Oisin Smyth to his right, sliding a pass to the Northern Irishman who gladly turned home from eight yards out.
Half-time: St Johnstone 0 Partick Thistle 1
The home side brought recent recruit Josh Fowler on during the interval as Simo Valakari sought a reaction from his team and that’s exactly what he got.
Two minutes after the restart, a Jamie Gullan corner wasn’t cleared properly and Alfredo Agyeman struck on the spin, seeing his shot bounce past Josh Clarke thanks to a deflection off of one of the Thistle defenders.
St. Johnstone threatened a quickfire second when Adam Forrester let fly from 20 yards out but his attempt was always bending the wrong way as he shot across goal with his right foot.
Mark Wilson’s Jags then came close to another go-ahead goal as Tony Watt played Alex Samuel in on the inside-right channel, but Toby Steward got out quickly to smother the forward’s advances as he tried to sneak it past the ‘keeper.
Tony Watt pinged a ball over to Alex Samuel who raced onto it. He tried to dribble round the keeper before shooting but Toby Steward put his hands out to prevent a certain goal.
Further scoring seemed inevitable as both teams endeavoured to edge in front and the third goal of the game would arrive in the 65th minute with the Perthshire Saints getting it.
Unsurprisingly it was the division’s top scorer Josh McPake who got it as he cut in from the left wing before reversing a powerful low shot past Josh Clarke into the near corner to take his seasonal tally to five against Thistle alone.
Seeking an attacking spark, Mark Wilson turned to his bench and introduced Kyle Turner, Logan Chalmers and Fraser Taylor with Taylor on for his debut in Jags’ colours.
Those changes led to some renewed threat by the away side as Logan Chalmers had a curling shot across goal headed behind for a corner and Alex Samuel saw a header fly a couple of yards wide of the near post after a cross from the right flank.
After than initial substitute-inspired burst, the Saints regained control and looked likely to add a third. Josh Clarke was called into action a couple of times, most notably to deny Alfredo Agyeman with his shoulder when the on-loan Falkirk man rocketed a shot goalward from the right side of the box.
The game went into five minutes of added time and when Oisin Smyth saw a shot saved easily by Toby Steward, you’d have been forgiven for thinking the points were staying in Perthshire but the visitors didn’t give in.
A ball hooked over the top of the St. Johnstone defence was latched onto by Alex Samuel and with the Thistle number nine sizing up his shot, Cheick Diabate bundled him over requiring referee Sean Murdoch to point to the spot.
January hadn’t been a favourable month for the Jags from 12 yards but a new face in the form of Oisin Smyth stepped up for the pressure spot kick. The midfielder smashed the ball forcefully into the bottom right corner leaving the goalkeeper, who guessed correctly, with no chance.
The final whistle blew as soon as the game restarted and Thistle claimed a point which over the piece they could have reasonably thought to have deserved.
Full-time: St Johnstone 2 Partick Thistle 2
As the spoils were shared, the gap at the Championship summit remains two points with leaders St. Johnstone holding a game in hand on the Maryhill Men.
Up next for Mark Wilson’s side is the long-awaited trip to Borough Briggs as Thistle face Elgin City for a place in the Scottish Gas Men’s Scottish Cup quarter-finals.
Teams
St Johnstone – Toby Steward, Cheick Diabate, Morgan Boyes, Bozo Mikulic (Jack Baird, 74’) Jason Holt, Jamie Gullan (Victor Griffith, 88’), Sam Stanton (Josh Fowler, HT), Josh McPake (Kai Fotheringham, 79’), Alfredo Agyeman, Adam Forrester, Reece McAlear.
Unused substitutes – Ross Sinclair, Matty Foulds, Louis Lloyd, Taylor Steven, Liam Smith.
Partick Thistle – Josh Clarke, Paddy Reading (Cale Loughrey, 59’), Lee Ashcroft, Dan O’Reilly, Ben McPherson, Luke McBeth (Logan Chalmers, 71’), Ben Stanway (Fraser Taylor, 71’), Oisin Smyth, Robbie Crawford (Kyle Turner, 66’), Tony Watt, Alex Samuel.
Unused substitutes – Lewis Budinauckas, Cammy Logan, Scott Martin, Ricco Diack, Aidan Fitzpatrick.
Referee – Sean Murdoch
By Craig Vassie
