PARTICK THISTLE 3

Doolan (32), Spittal (38, 41)

QOS 2 Dobbie (4), Todd (34)

Thistle came from behind to retain their 100% home record and lift their spirits after losing their two previous matches on the road. There was a sense of relief from boss Alan Archibald, who confessed: “It was vitally important. Our form has been good so far at Firhill and the fans have stood by us. “We showed great character in coming back from the early goal but we have been giving away easy goals. Their second one today was another that we gifted. “However, we scored three excellent goals.” A pulsating first half in which all five goals were scored saw the visitors grab the lead after just five minutes when goal-machine Stephen Dobbie sent a pinpoint low shot home to record his 21st strike of the season. Queens were content to sit back and watch Thistle play their passing game that looked nice on the sun-strewn Firhill turf but produced nothing for visiting keeper Alan Martin to do. However, the game suddenly came alive, producing four goals in a sensational nine-minutes. First, Blair Spittal was worked into space and his cross was met by Chris Doolan for the equaliser. Queens immediately broke on the left through Gary Harkins and his ball into the box was struck home by Josh Todd. Thistle responded with two terrific goals, Spittal firing high into the net after Christie Elliot’s cross was blocked. Two minutes later, it was Spittal again, meeting a clearance 20 metres out and hammering emphatically into the net. Seven minutes after the restart, Spittal, looking for his hat-trick, ruffled the wrong side of the net with a low shot from distance. Queens enjoyed a sustained period of possession midway through the second half and almost equalised when Bell had to tip over a Lyndon Dykes header over. However, Thistle went even closer to increasing their lead when Miles Storey broke away to set up Doolan whose shot hit a post with Martin beaten. Visiting boss Gary Naysmith said: “It’s hard to be critical as, for 75 minutes, we played well. Something went wrong for the final 10 minutes of the first half.”