Paul Mathers and Iain Stewart had a fine April

Goalkeeper Paul Mathers was named joint player of the month and Iain Stewart was joint top boss in Division Two.

But Stewart warned: "Thistle have a great record away from home, so there's a long, long way to go in this tie.

"At 1-0 down and playing against a full-time team, heads could have gone down, but they showed great spirit and did well tonight."

Peterhead's players faced a long drive home and a return to their day jobs on Thursday morning as they continued their quest for consecutive promotions.

Tonight it couldn't have gone any better Peterhead manager Iain Stewart

"It was a nightmare to get here and now some of the guys are starting work at six in the morning," said Stewart.

"At least the second leg is on a Sunday, so that will give us more time to prepare."

Stewart admitted that he had been forced to change his gameplan at Firhill.

"Partick Thistle were on top and it wasn't until I changed things round that we started to play," he said.

"Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, but tonight it couldn't have gone any better."

Peterhead earned some much-needed cash when drawn away to Rangers in the Scottish Cup this season.

But Stewart said: "That game was massive, but for progressing the club, Sunday's second leg is a much bigger game."

Stewart was joint winner of the Bell's award with Alloa Athletic's Allan Maitland.

Mathers was joint top player with Elgin City's Martin Johnston after a month in which Peterhead secured their place in the play-offs.

Meanwhile, striker Scott Michie has agreed a new two-year contract with Peterhead.