They went a goal down within a minute but this did not deter them from fighting for every ball.

Mearns kicked off and a move down the left by Causby and Kirkland let Beel through and he coolly slipped the ball under the advancing keeper Susmarski to score the club's fastest goal of the season so far.

The game was a bit scrappy in the next fifteen minutes with both teams failing to find any real penetration.

Mearns' Causby did break through in the fifteenth minute but a very weak shot was held by keeper Susmarski.

ARI's strikers got no further than the 18-yard line and any shots they tried were off target.

On the half hour mark Mearns' Legge found Law unmarked on the edge of the 18-yard box and with no one near him he put his shot way over the bar.

Five minutes later ARI's Irvine tried an overhead kick that scraped the post and went out of play.

Mearns almost capitalised with the ARI defence claiming for offside Abernethy ran through on goal but mis-hit his shot giving keeper Susmarski an easy save.

In forty minutes a pass back by ARI's Burnett was picked up by the keeper and referee D'Arcy awarded a free kick ten yards out. The ball was laid back to Abernethy whose shot was cleared off the line.

Just before half time ARI had the ball in the net but it was chalked off for offside.

In fifty-five minutes a poor clearance from ARI's Burnett gave McSloy a shot at goal which went over the bar.

A fierce drive from Mearns' Causby in sixty-three minutes rattled the bar before being cleared upfield.

ARI were having the better of the closing stages and in eighty minutes they got the equaliser after fine work by Gordon who beat two men, rounded the keeper and passed the ball to Constable who scored from five yards.

ARI forced Mearns to defend deep in their own half but poor finishing kept the final score at 1-1.

ARI Thistle: Susmarski, McIntosh, Pacetti, Riley, Burnett, Middleton, White, Irvine, Constable, Gordon, George. Subs - Masson, Sim, Rennie, Hewitt, Milne.