Momentum is a funny thing in football. It can only take one missed opportunity, just one marginal call that goes the other way and all of a sudden, a team that was dominating up to that point can find itself digging in and clinging on for dear life.

Partick Thistle’s 4-2 win over Airdrie on Saturday was an apt demonstration of just how powerful a force momentum can be. Jack McKay had put the hosts ahead with barely 70 seconds on the clock and the home side were in the ascendancy for the next half hour as the Jags struggled to gain a foothold.

Then, there was one 10-second period where everything changed. The Diamonds won a corner, the ball fell invitingly for McKay and the midfielder lashed it towards goal from close range. Kieran Wright, the visitors’ goalkeeper, produced a superb reaction stop to keep his side in the game and within moments, Livingston loanee Scott Tiffoney had prodded the ball in at the other end to mark his league debut in style.

The equaliser knocked the stuffing out of Airdrie. Time and time again Thistle advanced menacingly towards goal and within minutes of the restart, Brian Graham doubled their advantage. Connor Murray made it 3-1 shortly afterwards before Tiffoney removed any lingering doubt over the result by adding a fourth.

Ian Murray brought on Ally Roy and the one-time Thistle striker reduced the arrears with a second-half consolation goal but it was too little, too late.

Wright, the on-loan Rangers keeper, agreed with the post-match assessments of both managers that they game turned on his quick-thinking save at 1-0 – although the 20-year-old admits that he may have got the rub of the green.

READ MORE: Airdrie 2-4 Partick Thistle: Match turns on a dime with Diamonds undone by 10-second spell

“After we got the first goal back, it kicked us on and gave us a right good boost,” he said. “Boys were defending for their lives in front of me and then I’ve made the save.

“Wee Tiffoney has got up the park and showed great composure. He’s taken it well and put it away.

“It was just a reaction save. I saw the ball drop to the boy and he’s swung a foot at it. I’ve just tried to make myself as big as possible and fortunately, it’s hit my hand and it didn’t go in.

“It couldn’t have gone any better. It was the best-case scenario. Obviously we regret the slow start and going 1-0 down early doors but we kicked on from there, and I thought we were really comfortable for the rest of the game.”