Ross County 1 - 3 Partick: Thistle move off bottom spot

Partick's Kris Doolan scores Thistle's second goal. Picture: SNS

A second-half collapse by Ross County saw the Glasgow team leap off bottom spot and break a run of seven games without victory in quite some style. Chris Erskine added the third and Liam Boyce’s late reply was County’s last whimper on a blustery evening.

Partick started positively in terms of possession but it was County who offered the greatest early threat with Tim Chow and Christopher Routis both trying their luck from distance.

It was certainly blustery, but far less difficult for the players than feared. What followed was quite low-key, with both teams seeming eager to play the ball patiently on the deck.

Chris Erskine produced Partick’s first flicker of a threat after 17 minutes, swerving a dangerous ball across the County box without a taker.

Young Tony Dingwall did his level best to enliven matters after 34 minutes with a strong, winding run to the edge of the area but a weak strike straight at Tomas Cerny.

Partick finally carved their first attempt on goal three minutes later. Chris Erskine’s strike from just inside the box held real venom but home keeper Scott Fox reacted superbly, first to parry the effort away and then to get back to feet to clutch Ryan Edwards’ follow-in header.

But, five minutes into the  second half, Partick did grasp the lead after a Steven Lawless strike spun off Andrew Davies for a corner.

Sean Welsh’s delivery from the right found Lindsay towering over everyone in the middle of the box to smash a header high past Fox.

County were in serious trouble after 63 minutes. A poor Callum Booth corner was returned his way on the left as Lindsay slid in to dispossess Chow. Booth’s second cross was far better and Kris Doolan rose to hammer another  header past Fox.

It was all over bar the shouting after 78 minutes as substitute Jon Franks lost the ball and Erskine wriggled past a couple of chances into the box before striking the net.

From a Marcus Fraser cross, Boyce nodded in a County consolation, but there was never likely to be much of a revival.