 On 4 January 2019, Cardle signed a deal with Partick Thistle to keep him at the Firhill Stadium until the end of the 2018–19 season after training with Gary Caldwell's side for a number of weeks.Cardle said that he was surprised to see the "Jags" struggling in the Scottish Championship and went on to say "I'm an experienced player and I know the division, so I know for certain that we have enough here to drag ourselves up the table".Cardle made his first appearance for Thistle in a 1–1 draw away to Dundee United, where he entered as a substitute, and scored his first goal in his third appearance; a 4–1 victory in the Scottish Cup against Stranraer.