NATHAN Eccleston scored his first goal for the club as Partick Thistle took revenge for their 2-1 SPFL Premiership defeat by St Mirren at the same venue on Friday night.

The Englishman's extra-time effort was little more than a tap-in but ended a night of frustrating stalemate at Firhill.

The first half, especially, was excruciating for both sets of fans, but although the fare improved marginally in the second half the teams were so equally matched that it was impossible to predict which one would progress into the quarter-finals until Eccleston took advantage of Marian Kello being unable to hold a Christie Elliott shot.

Both sides made changes from Friday night's game - Thistle two and St Mirren three - but it was the home side which started the better. A lovely through ball from James Craigen left the visitors' defence with almost as many holes in it as a Tesco balance sheet, but the Kris Doolan failed to even find the target from his advantageous position inside the box.

Any notion that the first half might continue in this vein quickly ended. There was plenty of movement and passing from both sides but almost inevitably the final ball went to a player on the other side as the two teams cancelled each other out in the middle of the pitch.

So lacking incident was the game that Gary Teale's withdrawal through injury midway through the half was just about the only noteworthy incident.

When Calum Murray mercifully blew his whistle to signal the end of an increasingly mediocre first period, the two goalkeepers were so under-employed that they could almost have been sitting amongst the increasingly fed-up fans.

With St Mirren's credible efforts on goal restricted to a Kenny McLean header which went wide near the end of the half, it could only get better in the second period. Perhaps perplexed that he had something meaningful to do, Scott Fox in the Thistle goal gave his side palpatations when he dropped Jeroen Tesselaar's cross, but Ball, having started the move in midfield, wasn't lurking in a position to take advantage.

Thistle responded with a move which very nearly brought a goal, even if, like so many others, it looked like it might founder because of a pass or two too many. This time Jake Carroll took the opportunity to drill in a low shot which, if it had been deflected by Craigan as it nearly was, would surely have found the net instead of ending just wide of the far post.

With both sides making attacking substitutions just after the hour, it apparently wasn't just the fans who despaired of the tie going into extra time. As the rain got heavier, St Mirren spurned a glorioius chance to break the deadlock when McLean, unmarked at the far post, headed Thomas Reilly's corner from the left into the side netting. Even if both sides' final ball continued to be woeful, the clock running down introduced an urgency which had been all too absent in the first half.

Stuart Bannigan showed some initiative with a powerful shot from 30 yards which, although wide, was another indication that the pussy-footing about was coming to an end.

A great run into the Thistle box by Adam Drury saw the ball cut back for Reilly and Fox redeemed himself for the earlier handling error with a fine save for a corner. Reilly took it, from the right this time, and MacLean, for the third time in the match, sent a header flashing just wide of the woodwork.

Although the visitors were now looking the sharper team, Bannigan dispossessed Isaac Osbourne in midfield before eventually firing in a shot which went wide. Thistle then had a great chance to win it in regulation time, but Kallum Higginbotham's shot was saved by Kello and Lawless blasted the rebound over the bar.

Almost inevitably the tie moved into extra time, and the first period finally brought a goal. Elliott had only been on the pitch for a couple of minutes when he fired in a shot which Kello couldn't hold. Even on a night such as this, Eccleston couldn't fail to slip the loose ball into the empty goal.