ONE dream may have died but another still lives on for Partick Thistle.

The Jags saw their ambitions of a memorable league and cup double end in the cruellest of fashions yesterday.

They left the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium in Livingston with a runners-up medal following a dramatic defeat to Queen of the South in the Ramsdens Cup Final.

But they must pick themselves up and dust themselves down as they focus their attentions back on the Irn-Bru First Division title race.

With the narrowest of advantages over promotion rivals Morton, Wednesday's championship decider at Firhill is the biggest match the Jags have played for some time.

Silverware may have slipped through their grasps once already this season, but boss Alan Archibald is determined lightning won't strike twice as they prepare for their top of the table Ton clash.

"We knew we had games either side of the final," he said. "We have to dust ourselves down because we have got another cup final on Wednesday night.

"It is probably the worst- case scenario with it going to extra-time and we have taken a couple of knocks as well.

"But we can't feel sorry for ourselves. We will have to pick them up after today and we realise that. But we are back in again and we know how big Wednesday is, it is massive."

Having waited more than four decades for a cup final, Thistle fans made the trip along the M8 in high spirits, but it was to prove an agonising afternoon.

After Nicky Clark had given the Doonhamers an extra-time lead, Aaron Muirhead had his penalty saved in the last minute of the game before the defender was red carded for an apparent headbutt on Chris Higgins.

"I have not seen it so I don't know what happened, Archibald said. "There was a big rammy. Once I see it myself I will deal with it."

Despite Muirhead's miss and moment of madness, the cup was not in Queen's hands yet, with Kris Doolan converting Ross Forbes' cross in the last minute to send the tie to penalties and the Jags faithful into raptures. In the end, it only delayed Queen's crowning moment, with Stephen O'Donnell and Conrad Balatoni missing in the shoot-out as Allan Johnston's side added the Ramsdens Cup to their Second Division title.

Archibald said: "It was built up all week and it ended 0-0 which was disappointing. It was a fair result in the end, I thought Queen of the South deserved to win.

"It was very flat and a bit nervous. Both teams didn't pass the ball like they have done all season and we certainly didn't, which was disappointing.

"If we had got a goal early doors it would have changed the game, I think it needed that. Once they did score it sparked it into life.

"There has always got to be someone, I have been there myself and it is not nice. I thought Conrad did well today and he has been brilliant all season. He will learn from it. They are all very young and they will all learn from it."

The thrilling finish came at the end of a pretty low-key 90 minutes, with both teams failing to hit the heights they have done in their respective title challenges.

Chances were few and far between for two of the Scottish Football League's most free-flowing sides failed to fire on the big stage.

It was only in extra-time that the tie really sparked into life and the bumper crowd had the final that was expected in the build-up to the showpiece event.

For Thistle, it ended in the hardest of fashions, with Doonhamers keeper Lee Robinson proving the hero, saving from Muirhead during extra-time and then from O'Donnell and crucially Balatoni at the decisive moment.

The former Rangers youngster irked Thistle fans with his spot-kick antics, but his mind games proved successful.

Archibald said: "I thought the referee could have handled it better. Fair play to him, he got away with it. It is gamesmanship and they did it all game and got away with it so fair enough.

"I blame the referee, he should have dealt with it a bit better. But it didn't make any difference to the game."