AH, summer football eh? Driving rain and a biting wind greeted the players as they emerged reluctantly from the tunnel at the Excelsior Stadium last night.

Thankfully, Kris Doolan was on hand to pierce the gloom of a typically wretched Lanarkshire evening in, eh, July, by firing Partick Thistle to victory over Airdrieonians.

With both teams rusty going into their first competitive outing of the season it was hardly likely to be a classic, but the visitors deservedly took full points to get their League Cup group campaign off to a flyer.

From the first whistle the Jags were on the front foot, and a nice turn by Chris Erskine allowed him to play Callum Booth in down the left wing, but his dangerous cross was headed clear by Joe Gorman.

The visitors were screaming for a penalty when Sean McIntosh tried to control a low cross from Booth inside the area and the ball squirted up to make contact with his arm, but referee Kevin Clancy adjudged it to be accidental.

A flick by Doolan then sent Sean Welsh scampering in behind, but his square ball to Erskine just squirmed away from the attacker before he could get a toe to it.

New Thistle goalkeeper David Crawford, signed on the morning of the game, was finally called into action just after the half hour. A clever flick by Iain Russell found strike partner Andy Ryan advancing into the area and his low effort across goal made Crawford get down smartly to his right to turn away.

The home side seemed to gain confidence from that sortie forward as they advanced from the deep position they had been employing, but they were almost caught out as Erskine slipped a ball through for Doolan to finish, only to be denied by a tight-looking offside call.

Airdrie captain Marc Fitzpatrick then took exception to a robust challenge from Danny Devine, but as the two players went nose-to-nose Thistle got on with the game and should have opened the scoring.

Doolan ran down the left channel before squaring for Erskine, but he couldn’t sort himself out as the ball bounced towards him, and in the end his downward diving header lacked the power to carry it beyond Rohan Ferguson. Still, the Thistle pair were showing definite signs of picking up where they left off before Erskine left for Dundee United.

Stevie Lawless should have scored just before the break as Declan McDaid’s curling effort was palmed in his direction by the Airdrie keeper, but with the goal unguarded the angle proved too tight and his side-foot shot cannoned off the outside of the post and behind.

Liam Lindsay almost broke the deadlock soon after the restart as he rose to power a McDaid corner towards goal, but Gorman hooked the ball away from under the crossbar.

Fitzpatrick limped off to be replaced by Hugo Faria, and it would soon prove costly for the home side as the substitute dawdled on a pass from his keeper 25 yards from his goal.

That was all the invitation that Thistle required, as three players swarmed around him and Erskine won the ball to allow McDaid to play Doolan in on goal. There was only going to be one outcome from there, as the striker coolly swept home low to Ferguson’s right.

Lawless almost returned the favour as he tried to complicate things inside his own box only to present a chance to Ryan, but Devine did brilliantly to get across and block behind.

That was to prove the home side’s best opportunity to level, and Thistle substitute Ade Azeez should have put the result beyond doubt when played through by Doolan, but his shot was saved by the feet of Ferguson.

They had done enough though to get their season off to a winning start.

AIRDRIEONIANS: Ferguson; Stewart, McIntosh, Gorman, MacDonald; Conroy, Brown (Truesdale, 85’), Fitzpatrick (Faria, 48’), McLaughlin (Schmidt, 60’); Russell, Ryan.

PARTICK THISTLE: Crawford; Gordon, Lindsay, Devine, Booth; Welsh, Wilson; McDaid (Azeez, 58’), Lawless, Erskine (Edwards, 67’); Doolan.

Scorers: Doolan (54’)

Booked: Edwards (80’), Devine, (90’)

Referee: Kevin Clancy

Attendance: 1632