Montrose boss Paul Hegarty was not impressed after his team were held to a 1-1 draw at Saughton enclosure in their Scottish Cup second round tie.
Hegarty bemoaned his side’s performance, saying: “Our players let themselves down.
“They weren’t strong enough, weren’t aggressiveness enough, weren’t sharp enough, weren’t clinical enough and that’s not acceptable.”
However, Hegarty did reserve praise for the non-league hosts, saying: “Lothian Thistle did very, very well and probably deserved better.
“If you were a neutral watching the game I’m not so sure you would know who was the Second Division team.”
Things could have been different for the former Dundee United manager’s men as they started off the first half well and took an early lead in the 13th minute when a deep cross was headed back across goal by Scott Johnston into the path off Ross Campbell, who poked the ball home.
The visitors could not push on from this though and were pegged back before half-time when, in the 36th minute, Thistle defender Richie Wilkes was left unmarked on the six-yard line to head home from a corner.
Strong words could be heard from outside the away dressing room at half-time but this did little to change the pattern of the game for the Gable Endies as they struggled to exert control.
In fact it was the home men who thought they had snatched victory in injury time when they found the back of the Montrose net after a scramble in the box, but it was rightly ruled out for offside.
As it was neither could break the stalemate and the teams will need to do it all over again at Links Park to decide who progresses.