PARTICK THISTLE’S run of league matches without a win has now stretched to seven after Eamonn Brophy secured a point for Hamilton with a great finish eight minutes from time.
They moved up a place to 11th in the Ladbrokes Premiership table, above Dundee on goal difference, but Jags boss Alan Archibald knows it was an opportunity squandered.
Ryan Edwards had levelled after Massimo Donati’s headed opener before Liam Lindsay put Thistle in front. But yet again they failed to complete the job.
“It’s always hard to take when you’re winning the game with 10 minutes to go,” Archibald said. “The game was wide open. You wouldn’t think the two managers were centre-halves.
“It looked like a basketball game at times and it was frantic but credit to Hamilton as they kept going. It’s the same old story, we don’t take our chances and we don’t look like seeing the game out. I’ve seen it before a few years ago, we lose late goals and it creeps in.”
Seeing games out has also been a problem for Martin Canning with this the eighth time this season Hamilton took the lead in a match they would not go on to win.
They were slick and purposeful from the outset and might have been two ahead inside five minutes. Rakish Bingham, making his first start, shot wide inside the first minute. Then Alex D’Acol spotted Grant Gillespie charging to the back post and picked out the full back who headed wide from 10 yards out.
The Maryhill men felt they should have had a penalty in 10 minutes when Greg Docherty appeared to handle Stevie Lawless’s free kick as he was challenged by Chris Erskine, but referee Greg Aitken awarded a corner.
It was a big moment because within four minutes Accies were ahead.
Ryan Scully made a sensational save when he somehow pushed D’Acol’s powerful header over the bar after a great Docherty delivery.
However, he was exposed at the resulting corner when Massimo Donati ran unchallenged to the near post to head Ali Crawford’s ball home.
Partick reacted swiftly and Kris Doolan nearly provided an equaliser within 60 seconds, but shot straight at Gary Woods.
However, the leveller was only six minutes away and it was a Keystone Cops moment for the visitors. Former Accie Ziggy Gordon started the move with a quick free kick down the right that sent Chris Erskine behind the Hamilton defence.
Erskine drove over a low cross that hit Georgios Sarris then bounced off Donati straight back to Ryan Edwards who could not miss from four yards out.
It was terrible defending again two minutes before half-time that allowed Thistle to go ahead. Abdul Osman tormented Gillespie on the left as he retrieved Erskine’s over-hit corner. He then clipped a cross to the near post where Liam Lindsay headed home
Partick might have ensured victory in the opening minutes of the second half but spurned two excellent chances when Erskine shot too close to Gary Woods then Kris Doolan shot wide after easing away from Donati.
As Partick grew anxious Hamilton sensed a comeback and eight minutes from time Brophy raced through to fire past Scully.
Manager Canning said: “We more than deserved a point from the game but we have to improve our defending.”
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