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For many a year, Partick Thistle had notoriously struggled against Arbroath, so much so that the Jags hadn’t beaten the Angus outfit in 21 years before that hoodoo was eventually broken last season.

The two meetings this term have ended in a victory apiece. The Red Lichties stunning the Firhill crowd back in September before an Aidan Fitzpatrick inspired Thistle swept Arbroath aside in the reverse fixture at Gayfield.

Arbroath - now under the tutelage of Jim McIntyre - rocked up at Firhill with a makeshift backline. Injury meant that defensive stalwarts Tam O’Brien and Ricky Little both missed out for the visitors, whilst Darren Lyon, Colin Hamilton and Scott Stewart all filled in out of position alongside new signing Gordon Walker, who came straight in at right back having been signed from Cork City the day prior.

Kris Doolan made one change to the side that came out on top against Queen’s Park during the week, as teenager Ben Stanway, fresh from winning the clubs player of the month award, missed out on the matchday squad completely, therefore experienced Blair Alston took his place in the midfield three. With back-up goalkeeper David Mitchell’s injury proving to be more serious than first thought, the Jags acted quickly to bring in reinforcement. Former Hearts and Livingston keeper Ross Stewart took his place on the Jags bench after signing a deal until the end of the season to provide competition for Jamie Sneddon.

Thistle got off to the perfect start when club-captain Brian Graham opened the scoring inside 12 minutes. Aaron Muirhead floating a straight ball over the high-line of the Arbroath defence for the persistent Graham to chase down. A second of indecision from Derek Gaston allowed Graham to knick the ball past the onrushing stopper before slotting home from a tight angle. A 50th league goal in red & yellow for Graham who seems to be ageing like a fine wine.

An early goal to start the second half has become a common theme for the Jags this season, and the home side would once again have the ball in the back of the net within five minutes of the restart. Steven Lawless picking the ball up inside his own half before making a cross field switch to Fitzpatrick on the left flank. The in-form Jags playmaker made it eight direct goal involvements in his last six outings at Firhill when he turned new boy Walker inside out, drilling a left-footed drive across the face of Gaston and into the far corner for two-nil. A nightmare to defend against as the Thistle youngster is equally capable on either foot.

With the hosts now in cruise control, Doolan took the opportunity to give some much needed rest to skipper Graham, and his replacement Tomi Adeloye very nearly found himself on the scoresheet just three minutes after climbing from the bench. Harry Milne’s cutback made its way to the feet of Adeloye who blazed over the crossbar from four yards out with the goal at his mercy. A mere 60-seconds later, a further gilt-edged chance went abegging for Adeloye when he found himself one-on-one with Gaston, only for his finish to trickle the wrong side of the post.

The Thistle number 99 would eventually get himself on the scoresheet ten minutes from time when Scott Robinson found Adeloye unmarked in the centre of goal to tap home for 3-0. The Maryhill Magyars put some gloss on the scoreline when Adeloye made it a quick-fire double just moments later, this time successfully converting full back Milne’s cross - an almost carbon copy of his earlier opportunity. The Swindon Town loanee atoning for his errors but will no doubt feel aggrieved not to have gathered the match ball.

As Raith Rovers & Dundee United both fell to defeat at the weekend, Partick Thistle made the most of their opportunity to close the gap on the Championship’s top two with the commanding 4-0 trouncing of Arbroath.

Tuesday night saw the Jags pull off a major transfer coup with the capture of central defender Daniel O’Reilly upon the expiry of his contract at Raith Rovers. Having already spoken with the Irishman in the summer, Doolan decided to approach O’Reilly once more following an impressive stint with the table toppers which saw the 28-year old notch three goals in six Championship appearances, including a brace in last week’s Fife derby. The security of an 18-month contract was too good to turn down and the ex-Hamilton man swapped Kirkcaldy for Glasgow. A real statement of intent from Thistle...even if Raith responded with the loan signing of Kyle Turner.

With three new signings in the door already this month, gaffer Doolan will continue to work around the clock to bring in fresh faces in an attempt to bolster his squad, with talks ongoing to bring a number of players to Firhill, as the Jags look to strengthen their Premiership promotion push.