Four goals, comfortable passage to the fifth round of the Scottish Cup, an encouraging debut cameo from a promising youngster and the long-awaited return of one of last season’s best players. All-in-all, Saturday’s encounter with Highland League side Formartine United couldn’t have gone better for Partick Thistle had manager Alan Archibald scripted proceedings himself.

It was the re-emergence of Mustapha Dumbuya, Thistle’s fleet-footed full-back, that earned the biggest cheer of the day from the home support after over half a year out through a ruptured Achilles, and he admitted that it had been an emotional moment for him to step out in front of the Firhill faithful once more.

“It felt really good,” Dumbuya said. “It’s what I’ve been looking forward to for the past six and a half months.

“It was an amazing welcome from the fans and it was emotional for me. The supporters have been fantastic to me since I’ve been here and I’m very grateful. My family were out there and I’m sure my Mrs was crying.

“It’s been really tough for me. I’ve had to stay mentally strong and also physically. But I’ve done it and I’ve been looking forward to this day.

“The fans were brilliant during my comeback. The boys here, too, were great. They were all delighted to see me play 45 minutes over in Spain. That helped me a lot. The manager and Scotty have always been encouraging me.

“It’s been a tough six months, but there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.”

The way that the game unfolded made the half-time interval the perfect opportunity to reintroduce Dumbuya to first-team action, given that Thistle had long since broken the cigars out.

There were no signs of ring-rustiness following the winter break for the Premiership outfit, as a Chris Erskine double either side of a stunning low drive from Stevie Lawless had the home side on cruise control, with the gap between the sides every bit as large as the 325-mile round journey faced by the impressive Formartine turnout of 226.

The visiting players were disappointed not to give them a goal to reward them for their efforts, but a more than creditable second-half display at least limited the damage at the other end, with just one more goal finding its way into Ewen MacDonald’s net. It was the outstanding Lawless who was the creator this time, as his dinked cross was helped into the net by Abdul Osman - a rare goal from the skipper.

“A consolation would have been nice even just for the fans,” said beaten Formartine captain Paul Lawson. “We brought down a decent support so it would have been good to give them something to cheer about.

“I don’t think their keeper has had a save to make which was disappointing. At half-time you come in and you’re three down, and a goal for them would have given them a nicer journey home, but it wasn’t to be.”

The former Celtic, Ross County and Motherwell player was fulsome in his praise for Thistle, who look in fine fettle going into the second half of the season.

“It’s been a while since I’ve played against boys at that level and I must admit, it really showed,” he admitted.

“I knew they wouldn’t [take us lightly], I know the characters of their management team and they’ve got some quality players.

“Credit to them, we tried to make it hard and no matter who you are playing, if a team sets up right then it can be hard to break them down. But they got the goals and they showed their class in the end.”

Midfielder Lawson was deployed in the centre of the Formartine defence for the test against their Premiership opponents, and while that was a stern challenge for him, he was less than enamoured to be moved into his more familiar territory late in the game.

“[The manager] gave me the shout to go middle of the park in the last 10 minutes, that was the last thing I needed!

“It was tough. He put me in the back four a few weeks ago for my experience and he was hoping it would pay off today, but I don’t think it did!

“It was great though. We’ve just said to them that we have to do the same again next year, although a few of the older lads don’t want it, we don’t want the runaround!

“But no, that’s the target and for a club like ourselves it’s great to get ties like this and it is great experience for the young lads.”