Ten-man Hamilton hit back to claim a battling draw at Firhill as Partick Thistle struggled to make the most of their numerical advantage.
Mathias Pogba got his first goal for Partick Thistle to move them ahead midway through the second half, after Hamilton defender Lucas Tagliapietra had been sent off for fouling David Amoo as he advanced on goal in first-half stoppage time.
The ten men of Hamilton wouldn’t be defeated though, and Dougie Imrie hit a deserved equaliser to earn a point for Martin Canning’s battling side.
Hamilton started brightly but it was Thistle that created the first opportunity on the break. Pogba picked the ball up in midfield and released Ryan Edwards on the left. The Australian got his head up to pick out Amoo arriving at the back post, but the winger sliced his volley well over.
Imrie and Greg Docherty responded with long range efforts off target for Accies, before referee Euan Anderson drew the ire of the home crowd for playing on after Antons Kurakins made a decent fist of decapitating Stevie Lawless with a high boot.
Gramoz Kurtaj then drifted inside and forced a save from Tomas Cerny with a curling right-foot effort, with Louis Longridge’s follow-up being deflected just wide.
The best chance of the match so far then fell to the home side, Amoo doing well on the left before rolling the ball back to Callum Booth, whose first-time cross picked out Lawless right in front of goal, but from three yards out the diminutive midfielder got under the ball and somehow headed it over.
Thistle were dealt a blow after half an hour when Cerny was forced off after turning his ankle as he came to collect a corner, Ryan Scully deputising for the Czech shot-stopper.
Carlton Morris then collected a ball on his chest and darted into the left channel before firing a low ball across ball that Imrie only just failed to connect with at the back post.
Amoo then passed up a glorious chance for Thistle, Lawless putting him through on goal with a delightful chip over the top of the Hamilton backline. He dithered on the ball though allowing Tagliapietra to get back and block his effort.
The big centre-half then had a moment to forget though, as Amoo again broke beyond him and was only halted by an apparent push from the Brazilian as he advanced on goal. The referee immediately produced the red card, reducing Accies to ten men on the stroke of half-time.
The expected onslaught on the Hamilton goal didn’t really materialise at the start of the second half, but Thistle hit the front just after the hour with as simple a goal as you’re likely to see.
Amoo got the ball wide on the left and cut back inside before curling a right-foot cross into the six-yard area. With the Accies defence static, Pogba sauntered onto the ball and poked home from a yard out for his first goal in the red and yellow hoops.
A victory looked a foregone conclusion for the home side, but with 12 minutes remaining the visitors shocked the home crowd with a leveller.
A ball through from Kurtaj caught the Thistle backline napping, and Imrie nipped in to round Scully and slot the ball home for his fourth goal in five games.
In truth, it was perhaps just reward at that stage of the game for their sheer industry, with the ponderous home side falling further back, making it difficult to discern which side was a man light.
Indeed, Grant Gillespie might have moved Accies ahead with a low curling effort from 20 yards that Scully had to get down to smartly.
Substitute Kris Doolan almost snatched the three points at the death for Thistle, but his well-executed volley from the edge of the area flashed inches past Michael McGovern’s post.
Partick Thistle: Cerny (Scully, 31’); Dumbuya, Lindsay, Seaborne, Booth; Welsh, Bannigan; Amoo, Edwards (Muirhead, 51’), Lawless; Pogba (Doolan, 85’).
Scorers: Pogba (61’)
Booked: Welsh (6’), Muirhead (87’)
Sent off:
Hamilton: McGovern; Gordon, Tena, Tagliapietra, Kurakins; Gillespie; Imrie, Docherty (Canning, 62’), Longridge (D’Acol, 89’); Kurtaj; Morris (Nade, 73’).
Scorers: Imrie (78’)
Booked: Gillespie (35’),
Sent off: Tagliapietra (45’+4’)
Referee: Euan Anderson
Man of the match: Dougie Imrie (Hamilton)
Attendance: 3122
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