ROSS Docherty admits to being frustrated by Partick Thistle’s goalless draw with Dunfermline on Saturday but the Jags skipper is taking heart from his team’s overall performance.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between at Firhill and it was Docherty who went closest for the hosts after plucking the ball out of the air, dinking it past his marker and then curling it into the top corner, only for Owain fon Williams to palm it wide with an excellent save.

It was the first time Thistle had registered a draw all season and while the midfielder admits that Thistle’s creative play let them down, he takes encouragement from a second clean sheet in his team’s last three outings.

“Anyone watching the game would see that they had maybe one or two chances and we obviously had a couple more, but it was probably poor quality in the final third from us,” he conceded.

“I think they were there to be got at but that’s a game that we might have lost earlier in the season. They had a 10-minute spell where they could have scored so we’ll take the positives even though it’s a frustrating result.

“We look a lot more solid. We conceded late on last week when the game was done. It’s frustrating for goalies and defenders – they want a clean sheet – but for me, we look a lot more solid as a unit and we look more like winning a game than losing. It’s good in that sense.”

On his effort from distance, the 28-year-old added: “It was a great save. I was a wee bit shocked with the quality of the strike! On another day that goes in and we win so yeah, it’s frustrating.”

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With the League Cup-winning side of 1971 watching on from the Jackie Husband stand, Docherty adds that the team were disappointed not to have put on a show for the legendary side as he and his team-mates were all very aware of the significance of the day.

“It was huge,” he said of the ’71 team’s achievement. “Before the game we were in our warm-up and six or seven of them were walking around the pitch.

“We applauded them as well because it’s a huge feat for the club. We tried to use it as inspiration. We were under no illusions – it was a big day for the club and it’s just frustrating that we didn’t get the win to match it.”

Craig Wighton went closest for the Pars, whose winless run now stretches to nine league games. The former Hearts skipper did well to rob Tunji Akinola of the ball and zeroed in on goal for a one-on-one near the corner of the box, only for Thistle keeper Jamie Sneddon to rush out and deny him.

“I just nicked it off the centre-half but it wasn’t the greatest angle,” he said. “I tried to go across the keeper but he got out quite quickly to be fair. I’m disappointed not to have scored but hopefully I keep getting chances like that.

“I think there have been a few games recently where we deserved to get more out the game. We’ve been a lot better and it’s only a matter of time before we turn these performances into wins.

“We just need to keep doing what we’re doing. The last three or four games have been a lot better and we probably deserved to win a few of them so we just need to keep going and hopefully the wins will come.”