Kris Doolan is not expecting any more ins or outs at Partick Thistle before the January transfer window closes.

The Jags boss, speaking after his side’s 2-2 draw with Greenock Morton at Firhill, said at the start of the window that he would consider it to be a success so long as the squad came out of the month in better shape than they went into it.

Five players – Myles Roberts, Charlie Sayers, James Lyon, Ricco Diack and Liam Smith – have departed the club during the winter window, and Doolan has not brought in a single replacement.

“I would love to get one or two in,” Doolan said. “You can see the areas we need a bit more strength in depth.

“Whether that happens or not, it’s not up to me. What we have done is trimmed the squad, which we had to, but the boys that are still here are a good squad. They have contributed up to this point. If we hopefully manage to get something in before the end of the window, that makes us a wee bit stronger again.

“You can see the areas of the pitch where we probably need a wee bit more in, and obviously [goalkeeper] is one of them. But I understand football, it’s not always the case that you can go out and sign whoever you want. I need to make sure we’re allowed first of all but I am always hopeful.

“I don’t think [there will be any more outgoings]. We tried to do that prior to the last part of the window because that’s when things tend to speed up. Things can really change in the last few days so I tried to get things done before that chaotic period comes.

“But no, I’m not expecting anything else – fingers crossed – to change.”

Doolan made two changes to the starting XI from the team that lost 2-1 to Ayr United last week, with Aidan Fitzpatrick and Kanayo Megwa replacing Luke McBeth and Robbie Crawford as the Jags reverted to their usual 4-2-3-1 shape. Ben Stanway was due to start, but an injury sustained during training on Friday meant the midfielder missed out entirely.

Both teams started fairy brightly, but it was Thistle who should have broken the deadlock around the 20-minute mark when they were awarded a penalty kick when Jack Baird felled Megwa inside the box. Brian Graham stepped up but while his effort had plenty of power, it lacked the necessary direction to beat Morton goalkeeper Ryan Mullen.

A few minutes passed and Thistle came within inches of nudging themselves ahead through a defensive mix-up when Cammy Ballantyne headed a corner onto his own post, only for the ball to ricochet clear.

Both sides struggled to create much from open play but looked threatening from set-pieces, so perhaps it was unsurprising that the opening goal arrived via a free-kick on the cusp of half-time. Dan O’Reilly brought down Cameron Blues on the edge of the Thistle box, and Nathan Shaw drilled the ball home with an excellent strike.

Brian Graham trudges back to the halfway line after Morton score (Image: SNS)

The second half started in much the same way the first had finished; with plenty of endeavour from both teams, but little in the way of guile. Very little of note had occurred before O’Reilly levelled the scores shortly after the hour-mark, prodding home a loose ball in the box following a corner kick.

Thistle’s lead wouldn’t last, though. Six minutes later, Morton regained the lead and again Shaw was at the heart of it. The attacker did well to fashion some space in the box to get his shot away and although David Mitchell batted it away, the ball fell to Filip Stuparevic just a few yards out. He couldn’t miss – and he didn’t.

Thistle looked to be heading for defeat as the minutes ticked away until substitute Terry Ablade fashioned an equaliser through some devastating attacking play.

The pacey forward, who had been on the receiving end of a few meaty challenges from Morton, latched onto a long ball from fellow substitute Crawford before turning on the afterburners to peel away from two defenders as he drove menacingly down the wing. He spotted Logan Chalmers lurking at the back post and expertly picked out his team-mate for a simple finish to grab a share of the spoils.

Logan Chalmers wheels away after levelling against Morton (Image: SNS)

“We made hard work of it,” Doolan added. “I thought we were sloppy in the first half and we played poor passes. The pitch was tough but both teams had to deal with it, and I think Morton dealt with it better.

“Credit to the players because it is not easy coming back, especially against Morton. They are a tough, physical side but when you have guys like Ablade with pace that you can bring on… you can see just how scary his pace can be.”