SCOTTISH football bible Willie Duncan (@Willie_Duncan) delivers his best Boxing Day from north of the border.
Partick v St Johnstone | Boxing Day 15.00
An untimely dip in form has left me feeling less than festive recently, but I've picked out a bet from the Boxing Day card that, if it lands, will see me signing off for 2015 with a bigger bang than the fireworks at Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations.
Partick Thistle have been in great form of late, winning each of their last four matches and on Saturday afternoon, they play host to Tommy Wright's St Johnstone.
Thistle came out on top when these two sides tussled at McDiarmid Park a couple of months ago and they'll fancy their chances of repeating the trick here.
However, despite the impressive run of results put together by the Glasgow side, I can't resist siding with the Saints at a jaw-dropping 21/10 (William Hill).
St Johnstone were beaten 3-0 by Celtic earlier this month before they huffed, puffed and failed to find a way through against ten-man Hearts in Perth last weekend, but the Super Saints have been sensational on the road.
Wright's men have racked up a magnificent seven victories away from home in all competitions – a sequence of results that includes a 5-1 win at Pittodrie, a 3-1 win at Ibrox and a 4-2 win against Hamilton Accies at New Douglas Park.
I was at McDiarmid Park last weekend and, for Hearts, it felt like Christmas had come early leaving Perth with a point because we'd been battered and only a couple of inexplicable misses and a shocking Steven MacLean penalty had kept the hosts at bay.
To dismiss Partick Thistle's recent run of form would be wrong and there is no doubt that Alan Archibald deserves enormous credit for the turnaround in the Jags' fortunes following a wretched start to the campaign.
However, I can't ignore my instinct that the price for a St Johnstone win is all wrong – partly because, for me, when all is said and done, Saints are simply a better side than the Jags.
After overindulging on mince pies, I'll be in the mood to bash the bookies and the 21/10 (William Hill) quote for a St Johnstone win certainly looks tastier than leftover turkey sandwiches.
Best Bets
Partick v St Johnstone – St Johnstone to win (21/10 William Hill)
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