30th Mar 1996 Partick Thistle 0 Motherwell 2 (SFL Premier Division - game 31)

matches:1995-96: ← 38game 3940 →

Match Information

37y, 6m, 6d			Murdo MacLeod		Alex McLeish
no changes
no changes
					Billy Davies (0-1, 27 mins); Mitchell Van Der Gaag (0-2, 59 mins)
Tom Smith (Nicky Henderson, 61 mins); Gregg Watson (Charlie Adams, 75 mins)					Billy Davies (Tommy Coyne, 59 mins); Paul Lambert (Alex Burns, 72 mins)
33y, 6m, 1d			Nicky Walker		Scott Howie
32y, 10m, 16d			Alan Dinnie		Eddie May
25y, 6m, 9d			Gregg Watson		Rab McKinnon
22y, 5m, 18d			Tom Smith		Mitchell Van Der Gaag
21y, 2m, 12d			Jim Slavin		Brian Martin future Jag
27y, 11m, 11d			Steve Welsh		Chris McCart
19y, 6m, 13d			Billy Macdonald		Paul Lambert
32y, 5m, 19d			Tommy Turner		John Philliben
30y, 2m, 14d			Derek McWilliams		Dougie Arnott
29y, 7m, 6d			Ian Cameron [i]		Willie Falconer
29y, 5m, 11d			Andy Lyons		Billy Davies
27y, 8m, 14d
27y, 1m, 22d			Nicky Henderson		Alex Burns future Jag
30y, 7m, 3d			Callum Milne		Tommy Coyne
20y, 0m, 9d			Charlie Adams		Innes Ritchie

Match Report

TTA report

All the good work from 2 away wins was undone as Motherwell eased their relegation worries. They were in control for all of the match and scored from 25 yards (27). A fine save denied McWilliams nearing half-time. Hesitancy by Slavin lead to the 2nd (59). Thistle” huffed puffed and battled but had no real quality” (MacLeod).

Media report

31-Mar-1996, Sunday Mirror

MOTHERWELL'S fine run continued as they hauled themselves out of the Premier League danger zone and plunged Thistle deeper into trouble. Alex McLeish's men couldn't have found a better time to rediscover some of the form which saw them finish second in the table last season. Motherwell have now gone six League games on the trot without conceding a goal - a feat which beats a 66-year-old club record. And they have now picked up a valuable 16 points, though they've only found the net six times in the last 540 minutes of League action.

Right from the start, Thistle knew they would be in for a tough time when the visitors took to the field with six defenders in their line-up. But it was Motherwell's sharpness on the break that really stung the Jags. In the fifth minute Billy Davies showed the shape of things to come when his 22-yard left-foot swerving shot brought out a diving save from Partick keeper Micky Walker. For it was Davies who pounced to put Motherwell into the lead in the 26th minute with a wonder goal. The little midfielder netted for the first time this season when he lashed a superb left-foot piledriver from 20 yards past Walker, who had no chance. Earlier, Thistle should have taken the lead when Ian Cameron fired a stinging volley from a Tommy Turner lay-off just over. And in the 37th minute Thistle should have equalised. Hitman Derek McWilliams controlled the ball on the edge of the box and turned to crack a snap- shot which Motherwell keeper Scott Howie tipped over the bar at full stretch. Then Motherwell surged forward again and almost went two up just before the break when John Philliben thumped a fierce shot just wide from the right-hand side of the box.

Just after the restart, Motherwell were back on the attack again when Dougie Arnott got on the end of a Eddie May cross. But Walker did well to stop his close-range effort at the near post. In the 59th minute Motherwell finished off Thistle with a second. Big Dutch defender Mitchell Van der Gaag slotted home a left-foot volley from close range, which deflected off Thistle full-back Gregg Watson and past Howie. With this latest victory, Mothwerwell now look to be safe as they leap- frog Kilmarnock to go further clear in the table. But Thistle manager Murdo McCloud was left wondering what had happened to his side, who had thumped Hearts 5-2 last week and seemed to be getting their act together.

Scrapbook

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Aberdeen Evening Express, 30th March, 1996

The Scotsman, 1st April, 1996

Stats Watch

ongoing sequences:

● 4 consecutive competitive home defeats; 3rd Feb 1996 to date. (Longest run since: 4 defeats; 8th May 1993 to 31st Aug 1993. Club-record: 10 defeats; 5th Dec 1908 to 25th Aug 1909.)

● 4 consecutive home League defeats; 3rd Feb 1996 to date. (Longest run since: 4 defeats; 9th Jan 1990 to 3rd Mar 1990. Club-record: 10 defeats; 5th Dec 1908 to 25th Aug 1909.)

● 7 competitive games without a home win; 6th Jan 1996 to date. (Longest run since: 7 games; 31st Oct 1992 to 9th Jan 1993. Club-record: 13 games; 13th Apr 1988 to 3rd Dec 1988.)

● 7 home League games without a win; 6th Jan 1996 to date. (Longest run since: 7 games; 2nd Dec 1989 to 3rd Mar 1990. Club-record: 15 games; 5th Dec 1908 to 11th Dec 1909.)

● 60 consecutive competitive appearances for Steve Welsh, 26th Dec 1994 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Colin McGlashan - 83 games, 6th Nov 1990 to 11th Aug 1992. 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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