Really tough one to take, I've experienced my fair share of heartbreak as a Thistle fan like we all have but that was quite possibly the worst of the lot.
I had my concerns after the first 20 mins or so, we just couldn't get a handle on the game and were conceding possession so cheaply. That being said we were defending quite well but there was no way we could have kept that up for 90 mins. To get in at HT 1-0 was the stuff of dreams, we'd played poorly and had extended our lead.
This is where i'd be a bit critical of the manager, we should have made the change to shore up at that point. We'd been getting bombarded, were losing the midfield battle and were not really in the game in an attacking sense so something needed to be done. The lack of options on the bench was probably what made Doolan hesitant here but there must have been something that could have been done.
We were quite lucky they didn't get the first goal earlier. The chance right before HT and then the Brownlie slip at the start of the second half were huge let offs, these were the warning signs.
The penalty was really unfortunate, I just cant get my head around what is a handball and what's not these days. It seems to make no sense.
Our reaction to that penalty was absolutely farcical though and that was the moment that the game really flipped, I felt that sucked the life out of us and that it was only a matter of time until they got the third.
We can blame the referee or VAR but what happened in those last 20 mins and beyond was all down to us and how we managed the game. We had enough chances in the first game to put them away and being 3-0 up with 20 mins to go should have allowed us to play them on the break. We just never seemed to be able to get a foothold.
We maybe weren't ready as a squad to go up but when the chance presents itself you just have to take it, you may not get another one for a while. I doubt we'll be in as good a position again anytime soon and that's probably the most gutting thing.