Partick Thistle 2-2 Kilmarnock

Kris Boyd scored a late leveller to earn Kilmarnock their second point of the season as they held Partick 2-2 at a packed Firhill.Partick twice forged ahead, with Kris Doolan scoring both goals, but could not cling on to convert their leads into victory.Rory McKenzie struck the first equaliser before veteran Boyd headed the 85th-minute goal that saw Kilmarnock take a share of the reward, having been playing with a man advantage for the previous 20 minutes after Liam Lindsay was dismissed.Thistle gained an early advantage in the contest, breaking through after seven minutes when Doolan skilfully cut in from the right and evaded a poor attempt at blocking him from Lee Ashcroft before calmly slotting the ball passed Jamie McDonald.After two previous goalless draws and a defeat to Celtic, it was the home team's first goal of the campaign.Three minutes later Callum Booth tested goalkeeper McDonald with a long-range effort as the hosts dominated possession, with Kilmarnock struggling to gain a foothold.With 16 minutes on the clock Doolan was unfortunate not to double the Partick lead after the ball broke into his path following a David Amoo effort which the visitors failed to clear.The Thistle forward saw an opportunity to curl in from the right, only to be denied when his intelligent effort struck the right post.Five minutes later and Doolan again went close to increasing the lead but fired over the crossbar following some neat wing play from Ryan Stevenson.The home side's domination continued, and again they were close to increasing their lead in the 23rd minute after Stevenson found Stuart Bannigan with an excellent ball, and his cross from the right was powerfully headed by Frederic Frans into the grateful arms of McDonald.However 10 minutes later and against the run of play the men from Ayrshire almost drew level when McKenzie found Steven Smith free on the left. He fired a dangerous ball into the six-yard box which Josh Magennis should have converted, but Tomas Cerny did well to get down early to block.With nine minutes of the half remaining Thistle again went close to grabbing a second through Amoo but McDonald prevented his close-range effort from finding the back of the net.Kilmarnock drew level in the 38th minute thanks to McKenzie. He escaped a static defence who were caught off guard at a Kallum Higginbotham free-kick, allowing the midfielder sufficient space and time to burst clear down the left before cutting inside and slotting home the equaliser.Two minutes into added on time at the end of the first period and the visitors almost snatched what would have been an undeserved lead with Magennis firing in a low shot which hit the left post.The visitors began the second half positively too, with Magennis a bustling presence. And in the 51st minute it was his persistence that allowed Higginbotham the opportunity to drive a low effort at goal, but wide, against his former employers.Eight minutes later and goalscorer McKenzie tested the palms of Cerny with a decent effort from outside the box.The hosts were reduced to 10 men when Lindsay was rightfully ordered off by referee Alan Muir after he pulled down Mark O'Hara, denying the Kilmarnock midfielder of a free shot at goal.Despite being a man down it was Thistle who went narrowly close to regaining the lead with 20 minutes remaining as substitute Gary Fraser was unfortunate to see his first-time attempt crash off the crossbar.Doolan then grabbed his second goal, in the 78th minute when he was left unmarked in the Kilmarnock box and got on the end of Fraser's ball to slot home.But the home support's joy very quickly turned to frustration as former Scotland international Boyd headed in a Higginbotham cross from the right, preserving Kilmarnock's 13-year unbeaten record at Firhill.ends