Football managers are forever telling you that the result matters more than the performance, and this afternoon at Firhill certainly fit that description for Partick Thistle.
Super-sub Kris Doolan headed home a second-half double to secure a priceless three points for the Jags over Hamilton in a game that that was largely short on quality if not lacking in honest endeavour.
In the end, the win was no more than the home side deserved for their more enterprising play after the break as they move into the top six, and crucially, five points ahead of the visitors in eleventh.
Thistle welcomed back full-backs Mustapha Dumbuya and Callum Booth after they sat out last weekend’s cup win over St Johnstone, and as such, reverted to their more familiar 4-2-3-1 formation.
Martin Canning stuck with his familiar 3-5-2, but made four changes to the side that squeaked through against Dunfermline on penalties in their cup replay on Tuesday night.
Out went penalty-save hero Remi Matthews, Dan Seaborne, Grant Gillespie and Gramoz Kurtaj, with Gary Woods, Giannis Skondras, Massimo Donati and Eamonn Brophy coming in.
The first half was turgid fare on the whole, punctuated by a few fleeting glimpses of goal.
Accies had the first of these as Dougie Imrie drilled a low volley across the six-yard box, but there was no one on hand for the visitors to apply the finishing touch.
Ade Azeez skewed a header wide for Thistle, then Accies came closest to breaking the deadlock as Danny Redmond’s in-swinging corner was headed on by Mikey Devlin and just over the head of Craig Watson at the back post and out to safety.
It was of little surprise to see Jags manager Alan Archibald reshuffle things at half-time, with David Amoo being replaced by Doolan and the home side matching up to the visitors.
Accies carved out the first chance of the half though as a miscue by Liam Lindsay allowed Brophy to advance down the right and cut into the area before testing Tomas Cerny, who got down well to block behind.
There was a moment of controversy as Watson was caught napping by Doolan before simply hacking the striker down as he ran away from him towards the area, but referee Willie Collum decided that a yellow card was sufficient punishment.
Watson almost paid a heavier price from the free-kick though, as Booth’s delivery was headed goalward by Danny Devine and parried out by Woods, only for Lindsay to blast the ball over on the half-volley from close range.
Thistle weren’t to be denied though, and soon after they took the lead as their substitutes combined to open up the Hamilton defence.
Erskine did well to get in front of Watson down the left before clipping a lovely ball onto the head of Doolan, who glanced into the top corner from a few yards out.
The fans’ favourite then wrapped up the points with a little over 10 minutes left on the clock, with a goal that was strikingly similar to his first. Stevie Lawless fed Booth down the left, and his measured cross was despatched again by Doolan from almost the same spot into the same far corner of the net.
That was job done for Thistle, and while the match might not live long in the memory, it very well could prove a crucial moment in the context of both of these side’s seasons.
PARTICK THISTLE: Cerny; Dumbuya, Devine, Lindsay, Booth; Osman, Barton; Amoo (Doolan, 45’), Edwards, Lawless; Azeez (Erskine, 57’).
Scorers: Doolan (68’, 79’)
HAMILTON: Woods; Watson, Devlin, McMann; Skondras, MacKinnon, Donati (Kurtaj, 75’), Redmond (Gillespie, 65’), Imrie; Brophy (Adams, 75’), Bingham.
Booked: Devlin (61’), Watson (65’), Skondras (76’)
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