Mark McNally looked comfortable, assured as his every word was made prisoner by recording apparatus of various shapes and sizes within Firhill's inner sanctum.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Stirling players whom the club's assistant manager helps coach, were only spasmodically perturbed by what Thistle could muster, and when it was time to head home, some had drawn the conclusion that Stirling really should have ended what has become an infuriating run of drawn matches.

They started brightly and maintained this momentum until fatigue set in, a scenario that it is anticipated will continue throughout the season. The problem is when Stirling's players are not kicking a ball, they have livings to earn outwith the beautiful game, and so fitness levels can be compromised.

That said, there is no lack of skill and organisation within their ranks, and even when Liam Buchanan had punctured Stirling's defences after 18 minutes, the composure retained by the visitors was rewarded when the Thistle defence were elsewhere when Stevie Bell belted home a cross for equality to be maintained.

A peek at the first division table shows Stirling in a most unflattering position, but having just drawn their seventh match, it is clear that with a more liberal sprinkling of fortune where it matters, this situation may be rectified. McNally stated that, due to their dearth of victories, alterations were made for this game, changes, he claimed, that benefited his club's cause. Good for them.

However, what of Thistle? When they move from the confines of Firhill, disappointment looks to have become a constant passenger on the team coach. It has been reported their Glasgow base is where the club anticipated joy, happiness and success, although such things were absent when a halt was called on Saturday, the evening air being filled with the sound of booing from the local customers.

Alterations in team management and playing personnel have been entered into since relegation was avoided last season, but still the natives are, understandably, agitated.

They shuffle along and pay well for their Saturday afternoon entertainment, stuffing their faces with purvey purchased from the club's various outlets. If the disgruntlement heard at the final whistle is taken on board, what is being presented on the grass in the name of football, is indigestible to many.