Docherty left irked by dropped points

ROSS DOCHERTY was frustrated by Partick Thistle’s goalless draw with Dunfermline on Saturday but the captain is taking heart from his team’s overall performance.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between at Firhill and it was Docherty who went closest for the hosts after plucking the ball out of the air, dinking it past his marker and then curling it into the top corner, only for Owain fon Williams to palm it wide with an excellent save.

It was the first time Thistle had registered a draw all season and while the midfielder admits Thistle’s creative play let them down, he takes encouragement from a second clean sheet in his team’s last three outings.

“Anyone watching the game would see that they had maybe one or two chances and we obviously had a couple more, but it was probably poor quality in the final third from us,” he conceded.

“I think they were there to be got at but that’s a game that we might have lost earlier in the season. They had a 10-minute spell where they could have scored so we’ll take the positives even though it’s a frustrating result.

“We look a lot more solid. We conceded late on last week when the game was done. It’s frustrating for goalies and defenders – they want a clean sheet – but for me, we look a lot more solid as a unit and we look more like winning a game than losing. It’s good in that sense.”

Craig Wighton went closest for the Pars, whose winless run now stretches to nine league games. The former Hearts forward did well to rob Tunji Akinola of the ball and zeroed in on goal for a one-on-one near the corner of the box, only for Thistle keeper Jamie Sneddon to rush out and deny him.

“I just nicked it off the centre-half but it wasn’t the greatest angle,” he said. “I tried to go across the keeper but he got out quite quickly. I’m disappointed not to have scored but hopefully I keep getting chances like that.”