18th Apr 1995 Partick Thistle 1 Dundee United 3 (SFL Premier Division - game 32)

matches:1994-95: ← 38game 3940 →

Match Information

54y, 1m, 16d			John Lambie		Billy Kirkwood
Alan Dinnie; Roddy Grant
Kevin McKee; Rod McDonald
Stevie Pittman (1-1, 19 mins)					David Hannah (0-1, 6 mins); Brian Welsh (1-2, 65 mins); Brian Welsh (1-3, 79 mins)
Alex Taylor (Rod McDonald, 60 mins)					Scott Crabbe (Andy McLaren, 60 mins); Brian Welsh (Sergio Gomes, 89 mins)
32y, 6m, 20d			Nicky Walker		Kelham O'Hanlon
31y, 11m, 4d			Alan Dinnie		Mark Perry
27y, 9m, 0d			Stevie Pittman		Maurice Malpas
24y, 6m, 28d			Gregg Watson		Gordan Petrić
26y, 11m, 30d			Steve Welsh		Brian Welsh
31y, 6m, 7d			Tommy Turner		Jim McInally
28y, 7m, 2d			Roddy Grant		Dave Bowman
33y, 3m, 15d			Albert Craig		Billy McKinlay
29y, 3m, 2d			Derek McWilliams		Scott Crabbe
28y, 7m, 25d			Ian Cameron [i]		David Hannah
32y, 10m, 5d			Alex Taylor		Christian Dailly
29y, 9m, 22d
25y, 6m, 24d			Mark Cairns		Stuart Garden
28y, 0m, 29d			Rod McDonald		Andy McLaren future Jag
29y, 7m, 22d			Callum Milne		Sergio Gomes

Match Report

TTA report

8th v 9th was very disappointing. United deserved the win and scored with a header (6) but Pittman hammered home a shot from just outside the box (19). A low shot (66) and a header from a corner (79) killed Thistle off. United were the hungrier side. Thistle looked drained and, for once, lacked any fighting qualities.

Media report

19-Apr-1995, Glasgow Herald

DUNDEE United defender Brian Welsh made his farewell appearance of the season at Firhill last night and, in the process, may have helped his club to safety in the premier division. For Welsh, turned striker for the night, scored two goals to hoist United four points clear of bottom side Aberdeen and just one point behind last night’s opponents and Hearts in the battle against relegation. Welsh had been thrust into a striker’s role in a gamble by new manager Billy Kirkwood. Afterwards, the player admitted: “I have never played there before from the start of a game. Obviously, there have been times when I have been pushed forward late in a match when we are maybe trying to salvage a result. But that’s the first time I have started off up front. The manager only told me before the game but I had played there in training with Scott Crabbe yesterday. I was just delighted to get the goals because I start a four-game suspension now and won’t be able to help the team any more. I will be cheering them on from the stand but I wanted to go out with some kind of gesture. This was perfect.”

Welsh’s goals came in the second half when United had the best of this relegation battle. His first arrived after 66 minutes when a ball was played into the Thistle penalty area. It was partially cleared and broke towards the 18-yard line. Billy McKinlay — another Tannadice player who will miss the rest of the season through suspension — won a tackle and stabbed the ball towards Welsh, who hit a low shot past Nicky Walker and into the net. That gave United the lead for the second time in the match. They had gone in front as early as the sixth minute when David Hannah had headed a cross from David Bowman into the net at the far post. Thirteen minutes later Thistle had hit back. A cross from Alan Dinnie was half cleared by Jim McInally. It dropped to Stevie Pittman just outside the United penalty box and the Thistle full back hammered a shot into the net. It had remained that way until Welsh’s first strike. Then, 11 minutes from the end, Welsh put the game beyond Thistle’s reach. This time it was a more typical goal from the big United player. A corner from second-half substitute Andy McLaren reached him and he sent his header past Walker for his own second goal, and United’s third. Welsh left the field a minute from the end to be replaced by Sergio but, by then, his job had been done.

Kirkwood, celebrating his first victory since taking over at Tannadice, admitted: “When you are in this kind of situation then you have to try something different, you have to gamble. We did that by playing Brian up front. We had discussed it previously and decided it would be right and it paid off for us. Obviously, the other result went in our favour but we know that there is still some hard work to be done in the three remaining games.” The battling qualities which have pushed Thistle towards safety over the past few weeks deserted them in a match which might have guaranteed their place in the top flight next season. Manager John Lambie said: “This was a match which could have meant so much to us. We could have left United and Aberdeen stranded — but we lost the opportunity. To be honest, United deserved to win as they always looked the hungrier side. I don’t know what happened to us but I’ve told the players what I think and also what is needed from them in the remaining games.” There was just one booking in a match, Gordan Petric for barging Thistle substitute Rod McDonald late in the game.

Scrapbook

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Dundee Courier, 19th April, 1995

Video Highlights

(credit: Scottish Television )

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Stats Watch

ongoing sequences:

● 22 consecutive competitive appearances for Albert Craig, 3rd Dec 1994 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Willie Jamieson - 43 games, 30th Nov 1993 to 26th Nov 1994. Club-record: Johnny Jackson - 313 games, 28th Aug 1926 to 25th Mar 1933.)

Stats Watch adheres to our stated definitions of League, League Max, Major Competitive, Competitive or All Games. Where there is no written qualification, you should presume that the Stat in question is compiled from the All Games criteria.

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