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April 16, 1921 - the date Partick Thistle last held the Scottish cup aloft. Over 100 years have passed since George Easton’s Jags triumphed over city rivals Rangers in the ‘Boycott Final’. Thus, with each passing season, the desire to bring the Scottish cup back home to Maryhill grows stronger and stronger.

Entering the Scottish Cup at the third round stage can often prove to be a much-needed break from league action. With 13 non-league sides still in the hat for the draw, Jags fans were no doubt licking their lips at the prospect of drawing a highland minnow, seeing their side win handsomely and ticking a new ground off their list along the way. Sadly, Thistle’s wait for a favourable cup tie would go on as Scott Brown paired the Jags with Queen’s Park. An all-Championship affair - the disappointment was insurmountable.

Partick Thistle and Queen’s Park will be growing sick of the sight of each other. The sides have met a whopping seven times this calendar year and come their fixture on January 2, the clubs will have faced off eight times in 366 days - effectively once every 52 days — a strange contrast to the previous eight traditional Glasgow derby fixtures which were spread across almost 22 years.

Queen’s came into this one in dire need of a result and manager Robin Veldman would look to shake things up in attack with Stuart McKinstry being handed his debut following his release from Leeds United in the summer. Thistle themselves would be forced into a couple of changes to their own starting XI. Jack McMillan and Blair Alston in place of Harry Milne and Kerr McInroy - both still nursing knocks sustained against Morton.

A slow start to the contest saw Queen’s Park carve open a couple of half chances inside the first 20 minutes. A tame header from Jack Turner that goalkeeper Jamie Sneddon comfortably held, before the aforementioned McKinstry passed up the visitor's best chance of the game. The young winger fizzed the ball across the face of goal but there were no takers in black and white ready to bundle the ball over the line, and the cross would ultimately trickle out for a Thistle throw.

The Jags sprung to life just after the half-hour mark when energetic midfielder Ben Stanway was denied from point-blank range. The Thistle youngster doing everything right, heading downwards only to be thwarted not once, but twice, by Spiders goalkeeper Calum Ferrie. Stanway - head in hands - in disbelief at being denied the game's opener.

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Kris Doolan’s side would break the deadlock ten minutes before the interval when veteran playmaker Alston produced a vintage finish. The Jags number 23 brought the ball down inside the box before sending a curling effort into the postage stamp. A feat synonymous with his Falkirk heydays. The Firhill crowd rose to their feet to applaud a moment of individual excellence.

The rampant Thistle weren’t content heading into the break with a one-goal lead. The dynamic duo of McMillan and Lawless teaming up down the right-hand side once more, allowing the tricky winger to take his man down the outside and fashion a cross into the box on his weaker right foot. The cross was directed into the path of the onrushing Aidan Fitzpatrick to bullet his header past Ferrie before the keeper had a chance to set himself. Cue the trademark celebration.

The home side's dominance would carry on into the second half and the scoring would be complete just four minutes after the restart. The outstanding Fitzpatrick playing a clever one-two with Stanway, Queen’s right-back Ben McPherson left ball watching to allow Fitzpatrick to slot the ball home for three nil, securing Thistle’s progression into the fourth round.

The victory would be Doolan’s 20th win since taking over the Firhill hot seat back in February. During this period the club has made plenty of smart decisions both on and off the field, none more so than handing Aidan Fitzpatrick a contract extension until the summer of 2026.

The powerful winger now boasts six direct goal involvements in his last three appearances and once again reaching the play-off-level form that saw him drag the club oh-so-close to the Premiership finish line. The club will no doubt be bracing themselves for the inevitable interest of clubs higher up the pyramid. However, the Jags can rest assured that any club sniffing around their asset will have to pay a hefty fee with over two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract.