Airdrie were left to rue a number of missed chances as a strong performance against high-flying Partick Thistle ended in a frustrating draw.

Diamonds interim manager Aaron Taylor-Sinclair made one change to the side which lost at McDiarmid Park last weekend, Lewis McGrattan coming in for Cammy Cooper.

There was an air of familiarity for both sets of fans, with the respective managers having spent time with their opposition clubs, and while ex-Jags Sean McGinty, Jamie Barjonas and Cole McKinnon lined up for the home side, the visitors had former Airdrie men Josh Clarke, Kyle Turner and Tony Watt among their starting XI.

Under the gaze of the BBC cameras, the Diamonds didn’t manage the quick start they had at Firhill earlier in the season, but grew into a performance which was deserving of more than a point.

The visitors were first to attack, a third-minute ball from the left cut out by Aidan Wilson before another cross found the head of Ts’oanelo Lets’osa, who nodded wide.

After Watt had been outnumbered in the box, Euan Henderson was denied by a point-blank Clarke save after Chris Mochrie had spun his man and hared down the Airdrie left.

Ben McPherson recovered well to nick possession from Lewis Strapp after the Airdrie man had initially beaten the Celtic loanee on ten minutes, and McGinty was well placed to stop a square pass reaching Logan Chalmers two minutes later.

Overhit final balls from McGrattan and Strapp ended promising attacks around the 15th-minute mark, with Cade Melrose claiming a Watt cross midway through the first half.

Henderson found space in the box again on 26 minutes, firing over the bar after losing his footing as he shaped to shoot.

Thistle enjoyed a dominant spell in the closing stages of the half, Melrose gathering a Turner effort before a heavy touch from Chalmers ended a rapid counterattack.

McKinnon saw an effort fly over the bar before a fine McGinty tackle thwarted Watt, the former Airdrie striker’s theatrics rightly ignored by referee Duncan Nicolson.

The away side’s best chance of the half fell to Aidan Fitzpatrick at the back post as a low ball across goal found the winger unmarked with the goal gaping. Although the visiting fans were on their feet celebrating, their joy was short-lived as it became clear it was the outside of the net which was struck.

Barjonas and Melrose dealt with late attacks without too much fuss, and the sides went in goalless at the break.

The second half started in end-to-end fashion, Clarke holding a curling Mochrie effort before Melrose reacted quickly to stop Chalmers getting the ball across.

The Airdrie keeper was well placed to gather a tame Fitzpatrick strike on 49 minutes, then launching an attack which almost saw Strapp thread a brilliant pass through to Henderson, but the heel of Luke McBeth got enough on the ball to avert the danger.

Patrick Reading hooked a 53rd-minute cross away from the feet of Wilson, with McGrattan sending a shot well wide a minute later after doing well to engineer the chance.

McGinty’s foul on Lets’osa led to treatment for both players, a stoppage which would come back to haunt Airdrie late in the game.

The Diamonds were still on top, and McKinnon was unlucky to see his 64th-minute cross evade the white shirts in the box.

The makeshift right-back was on throw-in duties six minutes later, and his arrowed delivery was flicked on by McGinty, the ball landing at the feet of Henderson via a defensive touch. Airdrie’s top scorer made no mistake this time, calmly slotting beyond Clarke to open the scoring.

Both sides made changes as Thistle threw men forward in search of an equaliser, but the change of shape left gaps which the Diamonds should have exploited.

Jake Hastie saw a 75th-minute effort blocked after good work from Henderson, and Strapp’s shot took a nick on the way over after the defender had careened into the Thistle box.

The visitors booted clear after Clarke had failed to land his punch on Dean McMaster’s corner, with Mochrie outnumbered after drifting into space on 77 minutes.

Craig Ross’s return from injury allowed McKinnon to move back into his more familiar midfield role, and the comeback defender reacted well to nod an Alex Samuel cross over with nine minutes remaining.

O’Reilly’s fresh-air swipe from the resultant corner almost landed Partick in trouble, Mochrie sending Hastie clear on the break but Clarke was again out quickly to block one-on-one.

Hastie saw another strike held by the keeper before McGinty denied Lawless in a hectic final few minutes.

McMaster and Melrose combined to repel an 85th-minute attack, and Melrose was on his toes to claim a floated effort from almost halfway as the match moved into stoppage time.

There was late heartbreak for the Airdrie keeper when, with 30 seconds left to play, Oisin Smyth’s 20-yard effort squirmed into the net, leaving Melrose with his head in his hands as the Diamonds were denied the victory their play deserved.

Although the manner of the draw made it feel like defeat, there was much to encourage Airdrie players and fans alike as the side look to pick themselves up ahead of a trip to Stark’s Park next weekend.