JAGS WIN IS ETXA SPECIAL FOR ALAN
PREMIERSHIP LIVE
PARTICK boss Alan Archibald hailed the perfect away performance as his side moved into the top six.
Luckless Dark Blues defender Julen Etxabeguren put through his own net for the only goal of the game on the half hour mark
It was an eventful night for the Spaniard who also left the field on a stretcher after sustaining a suspected ruptured Achilles.
The Jags now sit two points clear of Dundee in sixth place after recording their third Premiership win on the spin and third league victory this season over Paul Hartley’s side.
Archibald said: “It was the perfect away performance really so I’m delighted.
“We didn’t use to have a great record here but it has been a happy hunting ground lately.
“If we can stay in the top six for the next few weeks then we can start looking up.
“We have real confidence now, to Doolan who outmuscled Darren O’Dea on the byeline and pulled it back into the six-yard box but Etxabeguren could only divert it into his own net.
Things didn’t improve much for Hartley’s men after the interval but James Vincent almost gave them something to cheer about when he cracked in a snapshot from 25 yards that Cerny dived to right to beat away on 52 minutes.
The Jags nearly grabbed a second in 64 minutes when Elliott teed up Doolan but he hit a weak drive at keeper Bain.
Within three second-half minutes Hartley made all three substitutions.
Faissal El Bahktaoui replaced Ojamaa and Danny Williams came on for Wighton before Dundee suffered a blow on 67 minutes when Etxabeguren left the field on a stretcher to be replaced by Kostadin Gadzhalov.
Partick thought they had extended their lead on 79 minutes when Abdul Osman crossed into the box and Doolan poked home.
However, the Thistle talisman’s joy was short-lived as he was denied by the assistant’s flag.
Dundee could have grabbed an unlikely share of the spoils on 83 minutes when Paul McGowan crossed to the back post and O’Dea’s header fell inches wide.
Sub El Bahktaoui then had a go with a spectacular scissors kick which rolled harmlessly past in the closing stages.
Hartley fears Etxabeguren’s injury is serious.
He said: “Julen is away to hospital and we think he may have ruptured his Achilles.
“It looks like it could be a bad one for him.
“I didn’t think it was a great game but our quality wasn’t there.
“I was disappointed with the goal we lost and I thought we played better in the second half. We still didn’t pass the ball well.”