Partick Thistle and Aberdeen fought out a goalless Ladbrokes Premiership draw at a wet Energy Check Stadium at Firhill which left the home fans the happier.
A blustery, rain-soaked afternoon helped produce an encounter heavy on effort but short on quality with defences on top.
The point took the second-bottom Jags four points clear of basement side Ross County while the third-placed Dons, now without a win in four matches, cut the deficit behind Rangers to five points, with the Light Blues hosting leaders Celtic on Sunday.
With four straight defeats - three in the league - the Maryhill men went into the match desperate for a win.
Chris Erskine, Steven Lawless, Christie Elliott, Andrew McCarthy, Martin Woods and Miles Storey all came into Partick's starting line-up, with the former made captain on his 250th competitive appearance for the club, while Andrew Considine and Dominic Ball returned for the Dons.
The visitors had the best of what chances there were in a poor first half, the first coming in the 15th minute when Dons midfielder Kenny McLean curled the ball just wide of the far post.
In the 24th minute, however, referee Greg Aitken infuriated the home supporters when he ignored claims of a foul when Erskine went to ground in a tangle with Ryan Christie, when Partick's attacking midfielder would have been clean through on goal.
The best chance came in the 33rd minute when Christie latched on to a McLean pass down the right and drove into the box before cutting the ball back for skipper Graeme Shinnie.
However, the midfielder's rather tame side-footed effort from 12 yards was blocked by Tomas Cerny with the Maryhill side clearing to safety.
Dons striker Stevie May then knocked a McLean cross past the near post just before the break.
Thistle stormed into the second half with Pittodrie keeper Freddie Woodman pushing a Lawless drive past for a corner, from which Erskine's header was cleared off the line by May.
At the other end, Christie flashed an angled-drive past the far post and the match settled back into crash-bang-wallop mode with increasing tension.
It looked like one goal would be enough to secure the points but amid much late enthusiasm, neither side could get the breakthrough - Woodman made a late save from Partick substitute Ryan Edwards, on for Erskine - and perhaps neither side deserved anything more than a share of the spoils.
Scottish Premiership Standings
POS | Team | GP | GD | PTS |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Celtic | 38 | +70 | 93 |
2 | Rangers | 38 | +49 | 89 |
3 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | +10 | 61 |
4 | Dundee United | 38 | -7 | 48 |
5 | Motherwell | 38 | -19 | 46 |
6 | Ross County | 38 | -14 | 41 |
7 | Livingston | 38 | -5 | 49 |
8 | Hibernian | 38 | -4 | 45 |
9 | St Mirren | 38 | -18 | 44 |
10 | Aberdeen | 38 | -5 | 41 |
11 | St Johnstone | 38 | -27 | 35 |
12 | Dundee | 38 | -30 | 29 |
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