Partick Thistle avoided the ignominy of successive relegations and finished the season in 6th position after producing some solid form at the end of the season. Yet, for most of the season they were haunted by relegation doubts. Retaining Alan Archibald as manager after relegation proved a big mistake as Partick began the season poorly. He was sacked by mid-October with Gary Caldwell installed. This failed to halt a run of seven successive defeats and installed them as one of the relegation favourites. However, experienced acquisitions in January brought a turnaround in fortunes. Steve Anderson brought resilience and organisation in defence while Scott McDonald brought vital goals. Although it was still too close for comfort, they finished the season with some style.
The season began with solid form at home but awful form on the road. A season-ending injury to centre-back, Tom O’Ware, was just one of their problems. Archibald had lost his way and was sacked. Gary Caldwell was hardly warmly accepted at Firhill, but once he settled in Partick began reaping the rewards of his appointment. Three consecutive wins in early 2019 changed their season and escaping the bottom two was possible. Only two defeats in the closing 10 fixtures saw Partick climb to 6th place. The 3-0 win at Queen of the South on the final day of the season was one of their best performances.
The celebrations may be hollow, but at least Partick have stopped the rot. They turned to experience in the second half of the season and it paid off. Gary Caldwell has vindicated his appointment, but it’s doubtful if Partick’s finances can match his ambitions.
