St Johnstone had hoped that the new year would be a new start as far as their home form was concerned but this defeat extended a worrying run that goes all the way back to September.
The 3-1 loss to Partick Thistle brings the total to eight McDiarmid Park matches without a victory, and in that time Perth regulars have seen just two goals scored.
Grim statistics, indeed.
There was mitigation, though, with a match-sharp Partick side having played two games facing a Saints team whose last contest was four weeks ago.
That sharpness showed early on and there was a close-shave for Saints on two minutes when Conor Sammon and Niall Keown both failed to connect with a Chris Erskine cross.
Thistle didn’t have long to wait for their opener, though, with Steven Lawless finding the net after good work from Miles Storey on 13 minutes.
Saints had a goal chalked off when David Wotherspoon’s crossed free-kick beat everybody to sneak in at the far post. Referee Gavin Duncan spotted a push.
Finding the net is the Perth side’s biggest issue and the double substitution of David McMillan and Chris Kane for Steven MacLean and Denny Johnstone did make a difference.
But, after a decent spell of pressure, they went two behind when Sammon finished from close range.
Hope of a comeback was sparked when McMillan won a penalty after being floored by keeper Tomas Cerny. There was a three-minute wait before Liam Craig was able to take the spot-kick due to the former Dundalk man needing treatment but the delay didn’t make a difference and it was 2-1.
McMillan tried to play on but had to be substituted a few minutes later and in his absence an injury-time breakaway goal from Ryan Edwards made it 3-1.
