A moment of magic from ex-Airdrie loanee Ben Stanway was enough to consign the Diamonds to defeat at Firhill.

Following hard-luck stories against St Mirren and St Johnstone, Aaron Taylor-Sinclair’s side faced yet another tough tie as they travelled to the Wyre Stadium to take on second-placed Partick Thistle.

With midfielders Charlie Telfer and Cole McKinnon dropping to the bench there was a first start for recent signing Dom Thomas, with Lewis McGrattan also coming back into the side.

The Diamonds started brightly with Jamie Barjonas sending McGrattan through on goal inside five minutes, the midfielder winning a corner after initially being forced wide.

Barjonas was driving the attack again a minute later, but found himself crowded out after jinking into the box.

Chris Mochrie was next to threaten, sending a low seventh-minute effort wide of the post before McGrattan curled over after a good switch of play.

The hosts hit back and almost opened the scoring with their first attack, Alex Samuel stooping to head against the post on 11 minutes. The striker was quick to react to the rebound, but Harry Stone had recovered to make a stunning point-blank save before the ball was hacked to safety.

Craig Ross made a good block on Stanway’s 15th-minute effort as momentum swung in Thistle’s favour, with Josh Clarke holding a Thomas cross before clearing from Mochrie as Airdrie probed again.

A quick throw-in led to Barjonas fouling Tony Watt on the edge of the box as the former Airdrie striker was about to let fly, but the respite was brief for the Diamonds as Stanway smashed an inch-perfect free-kick into the net to open the scoring.

Thistle almost doubled their lead two minutes later, Oisin Smyth drawing a good save from Stone after controlling a long ball, and Clarke got down to a low Thomas strike just after the half-hour mark.

Dan O’Reilly glanced a header wide before Stone was called into action again, this time getting down to a Ts’oanelo Lets’osa shot after referee Euan Anderson had bizarrely allowed play to continue despite his own touch gifting Thistle possession.

Lee Ashcroft headed wide before the home side’s defensive wall stood up to Henderson’s 40th-minute free-kick after Mochrie had been tripped just outside the box.

Dylan MacDonald was unmarked at the back post with three minutes of the first half remaining, but the defender sent his strike wide of the target.

Thomas sent another long-range effort wide before Watt spurned the last chance of the half.

Smyth sent a curling shot high and wide four minutes after the restart, and Clarke had two easy takes as Airdrie hit back, first catching a deflected Henderson strike then claiming MacDonald’s cross.

Smyth got another sight of goal on 53 minutes, and this time it took an outstanding save from Stone to deny the on-loan St Mirren midfielder.

Watt should have got his side’s second on 63 minutes, but somehow missed an open goal after a ball to the back post had landed perfectly for the striker.

Substitutes Gavin Gallagher and Robbie Crawford exchanged half-chances, but the Airdrie man was dispossessed in the box before the Thistle midfielder fired well wide.

Watt was denied by Ross’s sliding tackle after Crawford had seen an attempt well blocked, and another good Partick chance was turned over the bar from close range on 76 minutes.

Gallagher saw his 78th-minute header deflected wide as the hosts defended their box well, with Mochrie’s improvised volley going straight into Clarke’s arms a minute later.

A scrappy final ten minutes meant neither side were able to make sufficient headway to add to the scoreline, and the points stayed in Maryhill.

Successive 1-0 defeats against the top two have seen the Diamonds remain in ninth place in the Championship table, but a midweek semi-final gives the squad a chance to raise spirits before some crunch clashes against the other sides in a tightly-packed bottom half.