pArtiCk thistle 1 Storey (13) st Johnstone 0
A stunning solo goal from Miles Storey – whose first goal for the Jags last weekend gave them a priceless victory over Dundee – also handed them their second Premiership win of the season and lifted them off the foot of the table.
The game was in need of something special to shake it out of its torpor and former Aberdeen striker Storey was the man who provided it in the 13th minute.
He picked up the ball on the halfway line and then showed Aaron Comrie and Joe Shaughnessy a clean pair of heels as he burst into the penalty area.
Zander Clark left his line to narrow the angle but Storey kept his composure and stroked the ball into the far corner.
Either side of that goal, Thistle keeper Tomas Cerny had made impressive saves from David Wotherspoon and Murray Davidson but that early promise soon evaporated.
Long before half-time this became a hit-and-hope match, with both sides lumping the ball up the pitch and fighting for scraps.
The only save of the second half came from Clark when he reacted well to turn away a Blair Spittal drive low to his left in a Thistle breakaway.
Saints had plenty of the ball but did next to nothing with it.
Needless to say, home manager Alan Archibald was delighted.
“The stuffiness to get another clean sheet was satisfying,” he said. “We had a horrific start with the goals we lost so to get back to back clean sheets is pleasing.
“Also our game management, to see the game out. You could see at times we still looked a bit fragile so I was delighted to see it out.”
Saints, though, have now failed to score in each of their last five games but manager Tommy Wright isn’t too concerned by that sorry sequence.
“We’ve had these runs before,” said the Irishman. “In my first year we went nine without a win. It happens in this league.
“It’s a different type of annoyance, though, in that they’ve played really well and got themselves into good positions.
“We controlled the game but we’ve let ourselves down with a soft goal from our point of view.
“We’re still sixth in the table which shows what this division is like.”