Karma may not always be instant in football, but as Partick Thistle found at Firhill yesterday, it has a way of finding you in the end. Back in October at this venue, two late goals for the home side saw them snatch the points from a dominant Dundee team, but when they resumed hostilities in Maryhill once more, the shoe was very much on the other foot.

And the visitors will feel that balance has very much been restored to their universe after suffering more last-minute heartache of their own on Tuesday night against Kilmarnock. This time, two goals from boyhood Dundee supporter Simon Murray in a frantic final five minutes turned a game that Thistle should have had sewn up on its head.

In that regard, it was a harsh result on the home side, who were ahead at half-time through Conor Sammon’s seventh goal in seven games while being the superior side by the length of Maryhill Road.

But while the visitors and Murray in particular deserve great credit for their never-say-die attitude, Thistle were the architects of their own downfall as they retreated into their own area with fully 25 minutes to play, lending something of a sense of inevitability to Dundee’s late renaissance. And they can’t say they weren’t warned.

After Murray’s equaliser with five minutes to go, he had time to have another goal ruled out for offside, while substitute A-Jay Leitch-Smith, who had a huge impact on the match, forced Tomas Cerny to turn a snapshot onto the post before Murray’s predatory winner.

The Dundee fans sang their new heroes name long and loud, proclaiming him as one of their own. And for many of the impressive travelling support, that was quite literally the case.

“My mates have got a 50-seater bus down the day, so they will go home happy,” laughed a shattered-looking Murray. “I am glad we won because I was probably getting a bit of abuse. They will enjoy it and I enjoyed it as well.”

Thistle had been the dominant side from the off, with Sammon, Callum Booth and Martin Woods passing up decent opportunities before a nice passing move on the right brought a deserved opener. Mustapha Dumbuya swung a cross onto the head of Ryan Edwards, with the ball striking a Dundee defender and falling perfectly for Sammon to poke home from a few yards out.

Dundee came out with greater intent at the start of the second half, and Murray should have done better than thrash the ball wildly over the bar on the half volley after a poor effort from Sofien Moussa fell kindly for the forward.

Cerny then saved well from Murray, but the on-loan Hibs forward wouldn’t be denied for long.

Leitch-Smith pulled a shot across goal and Murray chased it down to slide in and tap home his first goal in the dark blue. Dundee weren’t settling for a point though, and Murray’s perseverance was rewarded as he nabbed the winner.

Thistle failed to deal with a Dundee corner and the ball fell at the feet of Steven Caulker in front of goal. The big defender should have burst the net, but his effort was blocked up into the air where Murray nipped in to nod into the roof of the net.

Thistle’s old Achilles heel of losing late goals had come back to haunt them once more, and while their manager Alan Archibald took issue with an incident that led to Dundee’s equaliser, he admitted his own side’s culpability in making their next two fixtures against Hamilton and Ross County absolutely crucial.

“Abdul (Osman) feels there was a foul in the build-up to the equalising goal,” said Archibald.

“Our game management could have been better, Dundee were having a go and it was on for us to get the ball forward earlier. The next two games are now massive, this was a home game and we’ve come away with nothing. Now we need to lick our wounds and be ready for next week.”

Attendance: 4267

Scorers:

PARTICK THISTLE: Sammon (42’)

DUNDEE: Murray (85’, 90’)