Published: Monday, 27th April, 2009 12:30pm

Title hopes gone without a kick of the ball

by David Christie

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TON boss Davie Irons watched his side"s slim hopes of winning the league evaporate without the players taking to the park.

The Morton manager took in St Johnstone"s slender victory at Dundee then returned to his car to listen to discover Partick Thistle had won courtesy of an injury time penalty

Reflecting on the results, he said: 'It was disappointing as I went to Dundee hoping they would do us a turn, but it was not to be.

'St Johnstone scored early and that took the pressure off them.

'Dundee never really threatened, my friend is the assistant manager there and he said they were just not good enough on the day.

'I got back to the car and put the radio on then Thistle get the late penalty, but Liam Buchanan has held his nerve and stuck it away so it has kept the league going right to the end.

'St Johnstone still have to knock Thistle out of the race so it is not over yet.

'We hoped to have one last chance on Saturday to try and do something, but you have to put things in perspective and to be in with a chance with three games to go is not a bad improvement so I will not get too downhearted.

'We are not going to Perth this weekend to watch a party unfold in front of our eyes; we have to target to finish at least third.'

Elsewhere, Airdrie United gave their slim hopes of escaping the relegation play-off spot a major boost with a 1-0 win over Ross County, Stephen McKenna"s strike proving the difference. But relegation looms large for Clyde after a 7-1 hammering from Queen of the South.

Stephen Dobbie scored four as the Doonhamers ran riot at Palmerston, cutting John Brown"s side four points adrift at the bottom with just two games left. Commenting on his hometown club"s emphatic win, Irons added: 'That was an incredible result, especially considering Clyde had a great win last week against Airdrie so you would have thought they would be fired up.

'But Queens being Queens, they will be as frustrated with their season as we are. They started full of hope, top of the league and in Europe, but we beat them 4-1 and they went on a terrible run. They went down the league as we went up.'

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