“Both teams had chances but couldn’t finish.”
Cranswick put his side in front five minutes into extra time. Christophers was again involved, switching the ball from the middle of the park to Cranswick out wide on the left, just inside the Massey half.
He beat the rightback and raced away to slip the ball past the goalkeeper.
Cranswick completed his hat-trick with a header after the Massey goalkeeper parried a shot on to the crossbar.
Hano Vorster, who came on for Batten, sealed the win with the fourth goal.
“Hano got the ball just inside the penalty area on the left and hit a screamer into the top of the net.”
Cranswick said he couldn’t single out any individual.
“The whole team, including the reserves who came on, played well.”
Goals to David Ure and Nick Somerton had Thistle 2-0 up against Red Sox and on course for a place in the second round.
“Red Sox, who had two exceptionally quick Asian lads up front, pulled one back before halftime and that seemed to give them a real boost,” Thistle manager Ron Young said.
“They came out for the second half fired up and equalised around the 60-minute mark.
“Their fitness began to tell, and they took the lead from a penalty, which I thought was a tough call.
“But they finished stronger and added a fourth.”
Young said Gareth Hopkins and Michael Rogers played well.
