ONE of the few downsides of winning promotion to the top division is that, on nights like these, you become an even bigger scalp for a lower-league team out to make a name for themselves.

Partick Thistle became the first SPFL Premiership side to take part in the Scottish Communities League Cup this term and, thankfully for manager Alan Archibald, they avoided marking the occasion for all the wrong reasons.

Just days after they announced their return to Scotland's top flight with an encouraging showing against Dundee United, the Firhill side took their place in the second round with a 2-1 victory over League One side Ayr United. "I thought Ayr were good," Archibald said. "I knew they would be, we have had them watched twice. I said to the boys, 'look, we are just glad to be through to the next round'. I don't care how we do it. People might think that you should go and run over the top of teams but that is disrespectful. If you do that, good. If not, we will take a win."

It took Thistle just 12 minutes to net their first competitive goal of the campaign and their first at Firhill this season. It was worth the wait for the home fans as Christie Elliott fed Stephen O'Donnell and the right-back lashed a superb effort into the top corner of David Hutton's net from the edge of the area.

With the advantage on the scoreboard to match their dominance on the ball, the opening goal should have been the springboard Archibald's side needed to kill off the tie and avoid a nervy second half. Chances were made and spurned, however, with John Baird and Elliott especially both unable to convert openings.

Thistle were well in control but Ayr continued to make a nuisance of themselves on their forays towards Scott Fox's goal. They closest they came to an equaliser came after 15 minutes when Michael Moffat's shot was blocked on the edge of the area and the ball ricocheted into the path of Craig Malcolm. The striker could not take advantage, however, his chip clipping Fox's bar.

The Thistle goalkeeper then had to keep a close eye on a long-range effort from Michael Donald and he was then beaten when Moffat looked set to nod home at the back post, only for left-back Aaron Taylor-Sinclair to deny him with a perfectly timed interception.

As the minutes ticked on and the scoreboard did not tick over, the crowd began to get ever more fraught. Elliott almost gave them something to cheer but he could not find the target after a direct run from the midfield. Moffat repeated the trick just minutes later but as he burst through and only had Fox to beat, he was unable to keep his nerve as he sclaffed his effort wide of the goalkeeper's right-hand post.

It was then Thistle's chance to assert some pressure, but the decisive second still never arrived; Gabriel Piccolo's his header hit the bar, Sean Welsh's headed effort was cleared off the line and a thunderous O'Donnell strike blocked.

With just eight minutes left, a cheer went up around Firhill and a sigh of relief was breathed as Thistle finally made sure of the win, Balatoni glancing Steven Lawless' cross from the right flank across Hutton and into the far corner.

Even then, it was not done and dusted. Substitute Mark Shankland beat Fox to Donald's cross to head into an empty net, before hitting the post just seconds later as the visitors launched a late rally. It was too little, too late.

"I thought the boys did great," Mark Roberts, the Ayr manager, said. "I don't like the old glorious failure one but we didn't look as though we were two divisions apart. We could have taken it into extra time. We had a couple of great chances, we hit the bar and had one cleared off the line. Fair play to Thistle, they are through. These things happen."