IAN McCALL was pleased to get another three points on the board as a late Partick Thistle goal proved decisive for the second time in five days as the Jags defeated Queen of the South 1-0.

“The first half was really difficult,” sad the Thistle boss. “The rain really helped the pitch play a little bit better – the first half was just so hard for both teams. They had one half-chance, we had a half-chance, but the second half we should really score three or four goals.

“Some of the play was excellent. But we won and that’s all that matters. I don’t think anyone can begrudge us the win, we thoroughly deserved it. We go to Saturday and it’s another big game.

“It wasn’t as if we had half-chances – Alex Jakubiak was excellent tonight and Brian Graham knows he should have scored, he’s gutted. Cammy Smith had two great chances to score.

“We maybe need to be a bit more clinical but listen, it’s all about winning just now and I’m not sure it will come down to goal difference. It was a big three points for us, there’s no doubt about that.

“We’ve come a long way in a short period of time. After all the troubles that the club has come through, it’s great to see our supporters.

“We can’t really play the way we want to play in front of them [because of the pitch] but you saw at the end – I think they were really thrilled with the way we played the second half. And really thrilled with the fact that we won the game.”

McCall added that he sees Kevin Holt, who popped up with a late winner for the second time in as many games, featuring prominently through the middle next season after spending large spells of hs debut campaign in red-and-yellow playing at left-back.

“Holt has been a great signing for us,” he said. “We knew he could play centre-back or left-back but he is now – we might have to move him back to left-back this season – but next season he will be left centre-back whatever league we are in.”

The visitors enjoyed the better of it during the game’s opening exchanges, with the Jags a little slow out of the traps. The poor surface and heavy rainfall during the first half didn’t exactly help matters but there was no denying there was a hint of rustiness about McCall’s men.

Kevin Holt had to react quickly to head a goal-bound header off the line and Ruari Paton headed narrowly over but Queens failed to make their dominance count as Thistle rode out the storm. As the game approached half-time, the home side began to exert some pressure of their own.

Connor Murray shanked an effort wide from the edge of the area and a few minutes later, Queens keeper Joshua Rae produced a superb stop as he clawed away a Juan Alegria header from close range.

Holt had an opportunity to open the scoring shortly before the interval when he was afforded some room in the box and the defender did well to chest and turn, but scooped his finish over the bar.

Brian Graham and Cammy Smith were brought on at the break as Thistle attempted to seize the initiative, and the home side improved significantly. The latter went close twice within 10 minutes of entering the fray but neither effort seriously troubled Rae.

Thistle were in the ascendancy now as they went about breaking the deadlock. Graham did well to fashion an angle with the game approaching the hour mark but his effort lacked the sufficient power to test the goalkeeper.

Alex Jakubiak was next to have a go as he rifled wide from a narrow angle, Ciaran McKenna went close as he flashed a header wide of the far post and Graham followed suit a few minutes later but still the breakthrough wouldn’t arrive.

A glorious chance fell to Smith as a loose ball in the box rolled invitingly into the path of the Thistle attacker but he blazed his effort from 14 yards over the bar to the dismay of the Firhill faithful.

Just as it looked like the game would end goalless, Thistle got the break their play deserved. Smith was hauled down in the box by Josh Debayo, and Holt kept his cool from 12 yards and claim the three points for his team.

“It is a sore one to take,” said Queens player/manager Wullie Gibson. “We knew it would be a tough game as Partick are up at the top and challenging.

“We felt confident but I said to the boys at half-time I thought there was going to be only one goal in it. It has come down to a penalty and having seen it back I think the referee got it spot on.”