Is it back to the future for Saints?
Star Saint: No-one An awful afternoon for everyone in a St Mirren jersey. By skipper Stephen McGinn’s own admission there was literally no-one finishing the afternoon with pass marks.
corner, although replays showed the striker was indeed offside.
Saints seemed spooked from the goal and almost conceded a second moments later when an Erskine cross caught out the defence but Spittal was unable to find the crucial touch at the far post.
Partick were simply in control of the game as the chances continued to flow towards the home support. Erskine was next to try his luck after bombing clear of Gary MacKenzie, but Stewart was on hand to clear behind for a corner.
But it proved to be a stay of execution for the Buddies as Steven Lawless drilled home the second following a one two with Erskine at the edge of the box, all stemming from Saints failing to clear their lines from the original corner.
The hosts’ performance was a joy to watch for neutral as they simply sprayed passes about with ease, while Saints struggled to play a five yard pass at times.
Their third goal of the afternoon, coming in the 33rd minute, could be an early goal of the season contender following a fine passing move which started in their own box fell to Lawless on the edge of the Saints box to curl an unstoppable drive beyond the stranded Stewart.
And just when the travelling support thought things couldn’t get any worse, up stepped Spittal to fire a fine curling free-kick from 20 yards to put the seal on a stunning first-half performance.
Ross rolled the dice at half time, with Conor O’Keefe replacing Jordan Kirkpatrick at the break.
And things appeared to take a turn for the better for Buddies shortly before the hour mark as Partick Thistle captain Abdul Osman was dismissed for two bookable offences in the opening exchanges.
But literally seconds after Osman was off the park, the ball was in the St Mirren net again following another great attack from the hosts. Match Facts
Partick Thistle 5 St Mirren 0 Bannigan (43), Osman (48), Baird (37), Smith (47) Osman (59) Stephen Finnie 2,727
Cerny, Booth, Spittal, Devine, Barton, Bannigan (McCarthy 83), Osman, Erskine (Edwards 65), Elliott, Lawless, Doolan (Nisbet 74). Subs not used: Scully, Penrice, Lamont and McLaughlin
Stewart, Whyte, Irivne, Baird, MacKenzie, McShane, McGinn, Smith (Stewart 73), Kirkpatrick (O’Keefe 45), Morgan, Reilly (Sutton 64). Subs not used: Samson, Buchanan, Horne and Erhahon.
It was that man Erskine again carving open the Saints defence, playing a stunning ball across the box for Spittal to hammer into the bottom corner, giving Stewart no chance to compound the woes of those associated with the Paisley side.
John Sutton was brought on for Gavin Reilly in a bid to shake things up for St Mirren over the final half an hour but the Buddies were clearly running out of ideas, despite having an extra man.
Ian McShane would force Cerny into a fine diving save seven minutes from time but that was as good as it got for the Buddies in a second half that proved to be meaningless following a first half hammering.