10th Oct 1992 Airdrieonians 2 Partick Thistle 2 (SFL Premier Division - game 12)

matches:1992-93: ← 17game 1819 →

	Alex MacDonald	John Lambie	51y, 7m, 8d

		Willie Jamieson
		Paul McLaughlin

Owen Coyle (2-1, 34 mins); Paul Jack (2-2, pen 58 mins)		George Shaw (1-0, 15 mins); Ian Cameron [i] (2-0, 17 mins)

Ewan Balfour (Sammy Conn, 84 mins)		Ian Cameron [i] (Mark McWalter, 65 mins)

	John Martin	Craig Nelson	21y, 4m, 12d
	Walter Kidd	Bobby Law	26y, 9m, 16d
	future Jag Sandy Stewart	Don McVicar	29y, 11m, 4d
	Paul Jack	Ray Farningham	31y, 6m, 0d
	Chris Honor	Willie Jamieson	29y, 5m, 13d
	Wes Reid	Ian Cameron [i]	26y, 1m, 16d
	future Jag Jimmy Boyle	George Shaw	23y, 8m, 0d
	Evan Balfour	Albert Craig	30y, 9m, 7d
	Andy Smith	Gerry Britton	21y, 11m, 20d
	future Jag Alan Lawrence	Davie Irons	31y, 2m, 22d
	Owen Coyle	Paul Kinnaird	25y, 10m, 29d

			27y, 1m, 26d

	Sammy Conn	Mark McWalter	24y, 3m, 20d
	John MacDonald	Paul McLaughlin	26y, 10m, 1d

TTA report

Shaw missed an early pen but he scored with a glancing header soon afterwards (15). Cameron's header after a great run and cross by McLaughlin made it 2-0 (17). O Coyle (him again) scored for Airdrie (34) and a blatant dive earned them a pen for 2-2 (58). Law cleared off the line then Jamieson went close.

Media report

12-Oct-1992, Glasgow Herald

IN the week when Scotland manager Andy Roxburgh suddenly found himself short of central defenders Partick Thistle manager John Lambie emerged from the Broomfield dressing room on Saturday to tell us that he had discovered one. The Thistle manager should have been angry after seeing his side miss a penalty then throw away a two-goal lead against Airdrie. He did admit to some disappointment, but the 2-2 draw provided a point away from home and, anyway, he was too enthusiastic about the display of stop-gap centre half Davie Irons to let anything spoil his day.

Lambie may have had tongue in cheek when he said that Irons, who is on the wrong side of 30, should be in the Scotland squad, but then again, I’m not too sure. “Davie was superb,” he said. “We have certainly hit on something here, and although I would hate to lose him, if any club in the premier division is looking for a central defender they could hardly find a better one than him. He is playing as well as anyone else I have seen in that position.” Irons, who up until now has operated as a fairly good midfield player for several clubs, is indeed a revelation in the middle of the defence, and although I would rather wait to see him against top-class opposition — someone like Ally McCoist — before making any great claims on his behalf, everyone at Firhill is thrilled by their “discovery.” He was first tried in the position early in the season, when Lambie had to reshuffle his defence during a match against St Johnstone. Then a couple of weeks ago Thistle were badly hit by injuries for the match against Celtic. “We were really up against it,” said Lambie. “I thought about who was the player best equipped to fill in and my instinct told me to go for Davie.” It was an inspired move, and in the three games since Thistle have taken four points to hoist themselves into a respectable mid-table position, something they would gladly have settled for before the start of the season. Said Lambie: “Davie is great in the air, he has got two good feet and tremendous pace. He’s probably the fittest man at the club — doesn’t smoke or drink — and has a good engine in him. He could play until he’s 38.” Certainly, Irons impressed against Airdrie. Even under pressure he did not waste a ball and built many moves from the back.

But if Thistle fans were drooling over the performance of Irons the home supporters were once again hailing keeper John Martin as their hero. After just eight minutes he saved a George Shaw penalty, making it three out of three spot -kick saves this season, having already stopped one from Rangers’ Mark Hateley and another from Motherwell’s Davie Cooper. Martin, at 34, is Airdrie’s longest serving player, and he has lost count of the penalty saves he has made in his 12 years with the club. “It’s not all down to luck, you know,” said Martin. “At home I have lots of tapes and a little book in which I write down details of how various players take penalties. Before every match I swot up on the opposition, and it paid off again this time. Mind you, after I saved the penalty Thistle then stuck two quick goals past me — that wasn’t very fair.”

The goals, after 15 and 17 minutes from Shaw and Ian Cameron, should have been enough to give Thistle both points, but once again Airdrie, who were without four first-team regulars, showed that tremendous resilience which has become their hallmark. After 34 minutes Owen Coyle got a half chance and put it away, and when Paul Jack equalised with a penalty in 58 minutes it looked as if Airdrie, who had hustled Thistle out of it, would go on to win. Over the 90 minutes, however, a draw was perhaps the right result.

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