Queen’s Park 2 Partick Thistle 2 – City Stalemate

QUEEN’S PARK ended 2025 by finally taking a point from a Glasgow derby with Partick Thistle in an action-packed 2-2 draw.

Sean Crighton’s Spiders battled back from two goals down to take a point from the Jags for the first time in more than 18 months.

Oisin Smyth was sent off for the visitors in the first half, but by that stage they led through Ben Stanway and a Euan Murray own goal.

The captain stepped up later though and scored the equaliser after Seb Drozd had pulled one back for the home side, netting the rebound from Josh Fowler’s saved penalty

It was a fast-paced derby from the start, and Drozd had a brilliant chance inside five minutes but he put the ball over the bar.

Thistle probed and asked questions of the Spiders, but they defended well until a momentary lapse let Stanway net after 14 minutes.The visitors doubled their lead through Murray’s wicked deflection from an Aidan Fitzpatrick cross to make it 2-0 inside the opening 15 minutes.

In the past the Spiders have conceded six in the previous two games however they landed a goal of their own before half-time.

It was just reward after a sustained period of pressure from Queen’s Park, the referee pointed to the spot for handball denying Aidan Connolly from a Grant Savoury corner.

Top scorer Josh Fowler stepped up but was denied by Josh Clarke, but after he brought the rebound down Seb Drozd followed it in to cut the lead back down to one.

Queen’s continued to fight back and Connolly put it inches wide with the score still 2-1.

Just moments later Thistle saw red with Oisin Smyth receiving a second yellow card for an off the ball incident that left Matthew Shiels on the ground.

The Spiders tried to capitalise but Henry Fieldson put the ball narrowly wide from a third goal in three weeks.

The sides went into half-time with Queen’s Park trailing but hopeful against 10-men Thistle in the second half after growing into the second half.

Partick Thistle forced Calum Ferrie into action early on with a long-range strike into the bottom corner that the Spiders No1 took safely but from then on, the home side camped into the attacking half.

Drozd was close to a second with a brilliant chance from a cross into the box which he took down with his chest before spinning and shooting low but the strike was blocked.

Still Queen’s Park probed, refusing to give up with Aidan Connolly striking a beautiful shot towards the top corner but it was agonisingly tipped onto the bar by Thistle’s goalkeeper.

The Spiders’ efforts didn’t go unrewarded though as Euan Murray leapt higher than anyone else to see his bullet header hit the back of the net from a fantastic Louis Longridge delivery to overturn the two-goal deficit in the 81st minute and cancel out the two first-half concessions.

Queen’s Park:Ferrie, Fieldson, Murray, Longridge, Savoury, Connolly (McLeish 83),Pignatiello, Fowler, Waugh (Scott 70), Shiels, Drozd.

MATCH REPORT BY ROBBIE McNAIR, GLASGOW CLYDE COLLEGE