PARTICK TH 0 ST JOHNSTONE 2 We’ll have to get to bottom of this
Jags gaffer desperate to figure out slump in form
Partick were sunk by Steven Anderson and Steven MacLean strikes as Saints shoved the Jags to the foot of the table.
It doesn’t quite constitute a crisis but Alan Archibald admits four defeats on the spin is more than a cause for concern after starting the campaign in impressive style. Partick followed up four summer League Cup wins by beating Inverness in their Premiership opener but they have since crashed out of the cup to Dundee United and lost three in a row in the league. So boss Archiba ld is determined to get back to winning ways in a hurry. He said: “It was a frustrating game, we looked unrecognisable at times from the side that has played in recent games. “I know we had lost our last two in the league but it’s the way we played in those matches, with the tempo and high energy. “We didn’t have any of that against Saints.
“Three league games without a win is a concern. We knew we had a tough run of matches and there’s no hiding from that.
“We were up against the teams who finished in the top four last season but we want to get ourselves out of the run of losing games. It becomes a habit.” MacLean and Brian Easton had early efforts saved by Tomas Cerny but the warning signs weren’t heeded by the Jags and they went behind in 21 minutes.
Thistle conceded possession and Danny Swanson found Anderson who squeezed in a shot at the back post.
The Jags response wasn’t long in arriving as Steven Lawless drove in from the left but his low, drilled effort from 20 yards fel l safely into the hands of Zander Clark.
A rchiba ld was forced into a change when Cerny’s injury nightmare continued as he limped from the f ield w ith a foot problem and Ryan Scully took his place.
The Jags boss said: “I don’t know how bad Tomas’ injury is but it’s a recurrence of the last problem.”