THE wizard wheeze, as that Jags' aficionado PG Wodehouse would describe it, of playing football on a frozen pitch in a Scottish January would seem to offer little in the way of warmth.

But this was a Wednesday at Firhill and one should expect the spectacular, particularly when the side is in an icy trough.

Thistle had garnered two points of 12 before last night's demolition of Hamilton. Kris Doolan, too, has gathered a reputation as a skilful if hardly deadly striker. Last night he emerged through the moist to declare: ''Matthew tonight I am going to be Cristiano Ronaldo.'' He scored four. Count them: one from all of six inches, the other with a fine shot, another with a backheel and the last with the sort of header that would have stunned Yosser Hughes.

He thus led his team out of the barren winter of disappointment to the promised land of SPFL safety. The season has some way to ruin but Thistle have opened a crucial gap over the stragglers. More important, they have gained the sort of three points that comes with the bonus of belief and the invigoration of a striker. Doolan's four goals were enhanced by a fifth from substitute Nathan Eccleston.

This, eventually, was a facile victory but it started with a moment of controversy. There was a question over the first goal.

There is one aspect of Scottish football that remains constant in these turbulent times: it is an equal opportunity punisher.

On a night that would have chilled a rabid St Bernard, Kylie McMullan, the female assistant referee, took a central, controversial role in the opening goal.

This signalled Thistle's rise from an early hypothermic state. Forced back early on by a combination of a lack of confidence understandable in a side that has victory as elusive as a January in Maryhill sun tan, Thistle slowly stretched and came out of hibernation.

They were two up by half-time and more than doubled the dose in the second half.

The leaders of this revival were the powerful and combative Ryan Stevenson, the wily and mercurial Kallum Higginbotham and, of course, Doolan who had the best night of his professional career.

After Ali Crawford had peppered the Thistle goal unsuccessfully with three shots, Thistle collectively found purpose and, crucially, goals.

The first came in 29 minutes when Higginbotham volleyed powerfully from the edge of the box and Michael McGovern could only parry the ball to Stevenson who lifted the ball over the keeper and towards the net. Doolan was on the line to smash the ball home but was he offside?

Predictably, the Hamilton defenders were of the opinion that he was but, more pertinently, McMullan kept her flag by her side.

The second goal - a minute from half-time -was devoid of controversy but awful for Hamilton in defensive terms with Doolan turning in space and firing a left-foot shot into the corner of the net.

Hamilton could retire for a spell in front of the electric fire, reflecting that it could just have been worse. Stephen O'Donnell should have done better with a shot from within the box and Frederic Frans did not capitalise on a free header from a corner.

These were misses but Thistle could also bemoan a lack of fortune early in the second half. Steven Lawless, who with Higginbotham, took turns to test and expose Stephen Hendrie, the object of a curiously inept transfer attempt by West Ham United, turned smartly on Thistle right flank and curled a beautiful shot that smacked the cross and fell to Stevenson.

The former Hearts player steadied himself and shot powerfully but it was blocked.

Doolan, though, was more certain, even cute. He found space to execute a delicious back-heel beyond McGovern and made it four with a majestic header from O'Donnell's fine cross. It could even have been more. He volleyed smartly but was foiled by McGovern.

Hamilton by now were in disarray and the Thistle players were as comfortable as anybody can be on a hard pitch in cold weather. Eccleston's tap in for the fifth goal for the fifth goal was merely another blow to a side concussed by a succession of them.

By this time, Doolan has been substituted. He was taken off to a roar whose size belied the fact that there were only 2138 chilled souls inside the stadium.

On a day when the transfer speculation surrounded young Hendrie of Hamilton, the only explanation for Doolan's premature withdrawal was that he was rushing for a plane to take him for transfer talks with Real Madrid.