In a game without goals and little meaningful action in the penalty areas, it was the underdogs who produced the performance that stood out.

 

And Partick Thistle did it through a combination of determination, long spells of attractive football and a tactical awareness by their manager, Alan Archibald, that Aberdeen were unable to counter.

Add two missed opportunities from the visitors and a controversial incident near the end which the Dons claimed cost them victory, and a picture is painted that this was far from dull, despite the result.

Thistle will, of course, need something equally special at Celtic Park on Wednesday night to effect a similar result, or better, though a belief and confidence akin to that they displayed at Pittodrie might bring them reward.

Frederic Frans, as excellent as he was stoic in defence, is certainly unfazed at the prospect of a Hoops side heading for the treble, especially if the togetherness on show in the Granite City shines through once more.

"Before the game, if you had said we could have taken a point we would have said that would have been amazing," said the 26-year-old Belgian.

"It was a really good result for us. However, if you look at the game we could have taken even more. Still, a point in Aberdeen is good.

"We had two great chances and they didn't really have any, so I definitely think we deserved three points."

Those chances fell to Lyle Taylor, twice through on goal but, in the end wasteful, though Jamie Langfield's block with his legs to prevent the first effort succeeding, is worthy of mention.

But what of Frans's late clash with Hayes - a foul by the Dons player, according to referee Kevin Clancy - and the post-match claim by the winger that not only was there was no infringement, he would have gone on to score?

"Hayes kicked my foot," the centre-back insisted. "I think it was a foul but I am lucky the referee whistled.

"Half of the referees maybe wouldn't have whistled but if you look at it, I have put my foot forward and he has caught me.

"It is not as if I was acting because I was kicked. I was relieved, but I was 100 per cent confident it was a free kick.

"We have two big games in a row [against Celtic followed by the visit of Motherwell on Saturday] and it is good to start them with a point.

"You never know, if we were to lose both games against the top two, people will say that is normal.

"But it is not good for the confidence either.

"We did well defensively and against Aberdeen we were strong so we have another chance to take something against Celtic.

"You never know; Celtic play a lot of games in the season and some of their players may be tired because they have a lot who were also on international duty.

"It might be good for us."

For the Dons, slipping seven points behind leaders Celtic in the Premiership confirmed their elimination from the title race.

More worrying for manager Derek McInnes, however, was their surrender in midfield where Partick's Stuart Bannigan and Abdul Osman were peerless, not to say an uncharacteristically-poor show by Ash Taylor and Mark Reynolds, the home side's central defenders, frequently out-thought and out-muscled by Taylor.

Disappointing, too, for McInnes was that debutant Lawrence Shankland, following his 26 goals for the under-20s and two for the Scotland under-21s in Hungary 10 days ago, failed to live up to his billing. Nonetheless, time is on the 19-year-old's side.

"It's been a good couple of weeks for me scoring for the under-21s and getting my first start for the top team," said the former Queen's Park striker, now in his second season at Pittodrie.

"But it is was a really disappointing result as its an occasion you will always remember and it would have been much more memorable if we had won.

"In fact I nearly scored in the first minute but it just went over the bar and overall I would say I was just average really.

"It was one of those days when I just couldn't get hold of the ball but I think that was the same for the whole team really.

"We never performed well enough and to be fair Partick Thistle made it hard for us and credit to them for that.

"The game is a bit quicker at this level but I just tried to play the way I do normally and hopefully I did all right."

Shankland may not find himself in the firing line for the visit of third-placed Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Wednesday night when the Reds will have to improve in order to halt their opponents closing the eight-point gap between the sides.

In the meantime, the youngster would like nothing better than to follow the path trodden by his friend and former Spiders' team-mate, Andy Robertson, now at Hull City.

"It's been a step up from Queen's Park to getting used to playing football every day," he added, "but to be honest I was a fit player even when I was part time.

"Hopefully I will follow in his footsteps one day but for now I am just concentrating on getting more first team action at Aberdeen."