For St Johnstone, this match put a stop to their rot:

they had lost their last five league games. Thistle fans could at least point to a clean sheet and commanding debut for their new Belgian centre-back, Frederic Frans. For the neutrals, though, it was a long 90 minutes.

When Brian Graham ruffled the sidenetting for the visitors within the first few seconds, the game seemed full of promise. It was, however, a false dawn. To make things worse, it was a miserable afternoon in Maryhill, and as the rain started to pour down quite of few of those sitting in the exposed first rows moved up to a higher, drier vantage point. There wasn't much to see.

"It's a good point, particularly given the run that we've been in," said Tommy Wright, the St Johnstone manager. "The conditions were difficult, there was a lot of wind. It didn't help the game, but we're pleased."

Thistle were patient, perhaps too patient, in their build-up. Early on, great work by Steven Lawless holding the ball up inside the box allowed James Craigen to run in from nowhere. His shot, though, was straight at Alan Mannus.

Another lovely move by Thistle should have brought the opener. Stuart Bannigan exchanged passes in midfield before slipping Lawless through; he danced past two defenders before squaring for Kris Doolan standing six yards out. But the striker got his feet mixed up and fell over.

Stephen O'Donnell looked the most likely to provide as he barnstormed down the right. His final ball, though, was a little wild, but he did win a couple of free kicks in dangerous areas. They were squandered, as was another chance when Bannigan's ball down the left released Craigen who squared for Doolan. He should have scored but instead collapsed in pain, before getting up and playing on.

The best chance fell to St Johnstone's Lee Croft. A clever flick by Graham released him into the area, clean through. Scott Fox dashed out, spread himself and blocked the shot. Graham then missed with a header when unmarked in the box.

The second half arrived, and by now even chances were now few and far between. Christie Elliott jinked inside his man, but drove a shot wide and over. Then James McFadden, drifting in just onside from the left, saw his shot well blocked. Elliott had the ball in the net - a brilliant long-range curler - but he had transgressed in the build-up and the whistle had long gone.

Thistle kept up the pressure. Twice Lawless drove through the heart of midfield, but twice he was let down by his team-mates. He then flashed a free kick over the bar. "When was the last time we scored one of them?" wondered a fan near the press box.

St Johnstone had a late chance, an improbably low diving header by Murray Davidson which Fox did well to save. Nathan Eccleston then drove a free kick into the wall. That was it, really.

Alan Archibald, the Thistle manager, was philosophical at sharing the points. He said. "We had a spell in the first half, but other than that it was a bit flat. We had plenty of possession, but just missed that cutting edge."