Lindsay laments Cerny clanger as Thistle mess up chance

PARTICK THISTLE’S Liam Lindsay must have thought a week that started off with the disappointment of missing out on the Scotland squad was on the up as the clock ticked on to 87 minutes at Rugby Park, with his side a goal to the good and seemingly cruising towards three points that would have put them in an almost impenetrable position to claim the final place available in the top six.

Chris Erskine had put them ahead with a little less than 20 minutes remaining, reacting quickest in the area to slam home after his initial header from a Christie Elliott cross had been blocked.

It was a goal and a lead that the visitors thoroughly deserved, with Kilmarnock chasing shadows for most of the second half after a bright start had petered out and Thistle had taken control of the game.

With Lindsay and his defensive partner Niall Keown assured at the heart of their defence, it was hard to see where a Kilmarnock equaliser would come from, but Thistle surpassed themselves as they continue to come up with new and innovative ways to throw away leads in the dying stages.

If it was defensive slackness from the team unit that cost them last week as Gary Warren nabbed a last-gasp equaliser for Inverness at Firhill, this time the culprit was altogether more obvious. Step forward, Tomas Cerny.

The goalkeeper, who is normally so reliable and has undoubtedly been one of his side’s top performers for almost two seasons now, chose a most unfortunate time to produce a clanger of such staggering proportions that even the home fans delayed their celebrations until they were sure what they had just witnessed had actually happened.

A powder-puff shot from Connor Sammon from 25 yards was so tame that Cerny may have been able to nip to the snack bar for a Killie Pie just after it left the striker’s boot and still get back in time to keep it out, but he inexplicably let it slip from his grasp and into the corner of the net.

“It was a hard one to take,” said Thistle defender Lindsay (inset), who wore an expression so hangdog that his mood hardly needed verbalising. “That’s the second week in a row it’s happened, so it’s a horrible feeling. Tomas was devastated in the dressing room afterwards. But he has saved us numerous times this season, so I think it will quickly be forgotten about.” Luckily for Thistle, the ability to react positively to adversity is one that is prevalent throughout their squad. Lindsay himself, in fact, successfully put the disappointment of his Scotland squad snub to the back of his mind to