'Thistle & Airdrie poised for play-off cracker'

Scottish Premiership play-off quarter-final second leg: Partick Thistle v Airdrieonians (agg 2-2)

When: Friday 10 May Where: Wyre Stadium at Firhill Kick-off: 19:45 BST

Coverage: Watch on BBC Scotland, iPlayer & BBC Sport app

Partick Thistle and Airdrieonians do it all again on Friday night for the right to play Raith Rovers in the semi-final of the Scottish Premiership play-off following a fascinating first leg on Tuesday.

That game thrilled from the opening minutes, ebbing and flowing as Airdrie took charge, only for Thistle to wrest control before half-time, with Rhys McCabe’s side responding brilliantly to set up a potentially nail-biting second leg at Firhill.

Both sides produced some excellent football, showcasing the very best of the Championship, and there’s every reason to believe they will do so again on Friday.

Only a fool would venture to predict the outcome with any certainty.

That said, there are a few factors that point towards a Partick Thistle victory, not least the recent 4-0 win on home turf against the same opponents.

That was a curious game, goalless at half-time before Airdrie capitulated in the second half, leading 31-year-old McCabe to accuse some of his players of “throwing in the towel”.

It was also the first game in what has turned into a four-match winless run, though they showed no sign of a team lacking form or belief on Tuesday.

The teams have now met five times this season and only once have Airdrie come out on top. If you go back further, that extends to just one win in 16 meetings, a staggering run that started back in 2012.

Does that have any bearing on what will unfold on Friday? Possibly not, but perhaps there is a psychological edge for Kris Doolan and his team.

Thistle's final-day defeat by Dundee United is their only loss in nine games and although they could not hold on to their advantage on Tuesday, they are in good shape.

They are certainly not infallible at home, though, having won just half of their 18 league games at Firhill this season (drawing five and losing four), but another statistic in their favour is Airdrie’s poor away form.

Only Arbroath took fewer points on the road in the Championship and that is a trend Airdrie will need to change if they are to prevent Thistle reaching the semi-final for the second successive season.

Doolan’s side blew Queen’s Park away this time last season, but despite the recent 4-0 thrashing of Airdrie, it would be surprising to see a repeat of that.

The first leg threw up some intriguing individual match-ups as well as some tactical battles between the two managers.

McCabe has earned plenty of plaudits since taking the reins from Ian Murray (whose Raith Rovers side lie in wait for the winner) and rightly so, with his side playing a delightful brand of football.

He switched to a back three for the first leg and it appeared to take Thistle a good 20 minutes to get to grips with that tweak.

Perhaps Doolan’s achievements in the opening months of his tenure at Firhill mean he has received less praise for getting his side back to the play-off again, but having lost key players like Ross Docherty and Kevin Holt to Dundee United in the summer, what he has done this season has arguably been more impressive.

Either of these sides (and Raith Rovers) would offer plenty to the Premiership but on Friday, ultimately, one of them will have to resign themselves to another season in the second tier.

There will be no bold predictions here, but the second leg should be another cracker.