Morton 1 - 2 Partick: Thistle dedicate win to Colin Weir

Thistle got the better of hosts Morton at Cappielow. Picture: Rob Casey / SNS Group

Weir invested significantly in the club and McCall said: “I didn’t want to be sycophantic in the team talk but I mentioned Colin because he has done an awful lot of things for us as a club. It is a great three points and we dedicate them to Colin. I only met him for the first time three weeks ago so I don’t want to say too much but it has hit a lot of the directors really hard. It wasn’t easy today but the players responded really well and got the three points.

“Colin did a tremendous amount of work. We were delighted to get the win and dedicate it to him.”

A minute’s applause was held before kick-off as a mark of respect for Weir who has a stand named after him at Firhill and who donated to the club’s youth set-up.

Honours were even coming into the match with victories for each team on their respective home grounds so far this season, but it was Thistle who edged in front after just five minutes when Osman Kakay crossed from the right for Joe Cardle to cleverly step over and allow Alex Jones to drill the ball past goalkeeper Danny Rogers from eight yards.

Scott Fox in the Thistle goal almost gifted Ton an equaliser after 23 minutes when he flicked the ball up, tried to clear the ball, but instead sliced it straight to John Sutton, but recovered to block from the Greenock striker who looked sure to score.

Referee Craig Napier was at the centre of controversy on the half hour mark when he adjudged Thistle’s Reece Cole barged into Reece Lyon as he tried to get on the end of a knock on from McAlister at the back post. The referee pointed to the spot and booked both Jags pair Cole and Joe Cardle as tempers flared. Kyle Jacobs kept his cool to fire home from the penalty spot.

Thistle should have regained the lead in 37 minutes when James Penrice whipped over a cross from the left but Kakay somehow headed wide at the back post.

Thistle got the winner in front in 61 minutes. Ex-Ton star Tom O’Ware forced Rogers into a marvellous near post save, but from Cole’s resultant corner from the left O’Ware turned a close range volley into the net.

McCall added: “It would have been a travesty if we hadn’t won it. It was never a penalty kick. It was just a poor decision but I probably made about five of them today. We should have made it more comfortable but it is a great three points, especially since their home record is so good.

Morton manager David Hopkin said: “It was two sloppy goals and we shot ourselves in the foot. We seem to do it every week. The first goal was schoolboy stuff and we created numerous chances and nobody is cutting us open its all individual errors.”