31st Aug 1996 Partick Thistle 1 St Mirren 1 (SFL First Division - game 3)

matches:1996-97: ← 09game 1011 →

37y, 11m, 7d	Murdo MacLeod	Tony Fitzpatrick

Gareth Evans
Stephen Docherty

Jered Stirling (1-1, pen 26 mins)		Stephen Watson (0-1, 10 mins)
		Jim Dick (@ 1-1, 60 mins)
Derek McWilliams (Nicky Henderson, 56 mins); Callum Milne (Tommy Turner, 56 mins); Steve Maskrey (Stephen Docherty, 82 mins)		Brian Hetherston (Norrie McWhirter, 61 mins); Steven McGarry (Brian Smith, 57 mins); Junior Mendes (Chris Iwelumo, 80 mins)

26y, 11m, 6d	Mark Cairns	Alan Combe
31y, 0m, 4d	Callum Milne	Jim Dick
19y, 10m, 18d	Jered Stirling	Martin Baker
33y, 3m, 17d	Alan Dinnie	Barry McLaughlin
21y, 7m, 13d	Jim Slavin	Paul Fenwick
25y, 11m, 10d	Gregg Watson	Stephen Watson future Jag
29y, 7m, 17d	Gareth Evans	Brian Hetherston
26y, 10m, 2d	David Farrell	Stuart Taylor future Jag
34y, 0m, 15d	Steve Maskrey	Steven McGarry
30y, 7m, 15d	Derek McWilliams	Junior Mendes
29y, 10m, 12d	Andy Lyons	Mark Yardley

28y, 1m, 25d

32y, 10m, 20d	Tommy Turner	Norrie McWhirter
27y, 6m, 23d	Nicky Henderson	Brian Smith
20y, 6m, 13d	Stephen Docherty	Chris Iwelumo

TTA report

St Mirren scored 1st with a tremendous shot in the top corner and deserved to be ahead (10). Thistle stuttered into life as St Mirren faded. Maskrey and Lyons missed a few chances then Stirling converted a penalty (26). It was end to end stuff and towsy after that and Saints had a man sent off (60).

Media report

01-Sep-1996, Sunday Mirror

First Division football is clearly not for the fainthearted. Last week we had the Brockville bust-up. This week it was the Firhill flare-up, with one ordered off and five booked. In one torrid five-minute spell at the start of the second half we had four bookings - Dinnie and Milne, of Thistle, and Paul Fenwick and Jim Dick, of Saints. Dick had already picked up a yellow card and was sent off. And they were joined late on by Saints' Taylor for a foul on keeper Cairns. Both sides are desperate for points. And it showed in the hell-for-leather action.

Saints had the better of the opening 20 minutes, when they looked altogether fitter and sharper. But the Jags, looking for their first win of the season, gradually got their act together. Saints keeper Allan Combe twice had to make inspired saves in the space of a minute to stop Thistle going in front. The Paisley Buddies, having made a hash of two early chances, made no mistake after 10 minutes. A stretched Firhill defence saw the ball cleared first to McGarry and then Mendes. But it was third time lucky when it broke to Watson, who powered a ferocious left-foot shot high into the net. It was a goal that stung the Jags into life and Combe certainly had to do the business with two super saves - the first a point-blank stop from Lyons in 23 minutes. And then the keeper produced a quite unbelievable dive to his left just a minute later to stop what seemed a certain left-foot scoring shot from McWilliams. Despite all the pressure, it needed a penalty to put Thistle back in business. And it was a somewhat soft award at that, as Fenwick caught Maskrey as he ran diagonally across the box. Dick was booked for running across the line-up as Jered Stirling prepared to take the kick. It was a costly booking as he was later red carded for another. It certainly didn't put Stirling off as he stroked the spot-kick out of the keeper's reach. Both sides made full use of their subs in a bid to swing it, but in the end I reckon the bruises were evenly shared.

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