PAUL CAIRNEY says he will remain on penalty taking duties – despite missing one as Partick Thistle were held to a draw at Falkirk.

The Jags midfielder had the chance to claim all three points on Saturday, but Bairns keeper Michael McGovern saved his spot- kick and the match finished 1-1.

Cairney had originally given his team the lead, dinking the ball home on the stroke of half-time, before former Celtic midfielder Mark Millar levelled for Steven Pressley's team.

Thistle now sit fourth in the Irn-Bru First Division, with only nine fixtures remaining.

Despite his miss, Cairney says he won't think twice about stepping up again.

He said: "I think it's only the second penalty I've ever missed. Hopefully I can bounce back, because it would be good to score the next one. I'll still be confident to step up, and give it another go. I'd like to carry on taking them, but we'll just need to wait and see who the gaffer picks."

Cairney's opening goal was a piece of magic, and had the visiting fans on their feet. The midfielder spotted McGovern off his line, and took everybody by surprise, executing a beautifully judged chip from 20 yards.

He said: "I thought I would try to lift the ball over the keeper, and thankfully it went in. As soon as I hit it, I knew it was going in. It's probably the best goal I've ever scored."

Thistle were backed by more than 400 supporters at the Falkirk Stadium, despite having relatively little left to play for.

Ross County are now 11 points clear at the top of the table, while the Jags look to have done enough to avoid the possibility of relegation.

But Cairney rubbished suggestions his team are thinking of taking their foot off the pedal.

He said: "We definitely want to finish as high as possible. We're fourth at the moment, and we might be able to improve on that. The guys are all really hungry for success. It's going to be a difficult end to the season, but we'll keep on fighting."

Cairney also concedes that the title is now County's to lose.

He said: "It looks as though they would need to lose quite a few games in order to let Falkirk back in.

"I think they'll do pretty well in the SPL, if they end up being promoted. They've got a lot of experienced boys in their squad, and seem very focused to go on and win the championship."

Meanwhile, Jackie McNamara is sweating over the fitness of Conrad Balatoni. The defender looked in pain as he hobbled down the tunnel 10 minutes in.

McNamara said: "It's a hamstring injury, but we're not sure whether it's a pull, strain or a tear. We'll just wait and see how he is."