14th Mar 1998 Partick Thistle 1 St Mirren 2 (SFL First Division - game 28)

matches:1997-98: ← 33game 3435 →

Match Information

41y, 1m, 17d			John McVeigh		Tony Fitzpatrick
Jamie McKenzie; Jered Stirling
Billy Macdonald; Nicky Henderson
Andy Lyons (1-2, 86 mins)					Mark Yardley (0-1, 8 mins); Mark Yardley (0-2, 36 mins)
Gregg Watson; Jamie McKenzie; Iain Nicolson; Billy Macdonald					Norrie McWhirter
Jered Stirling (Nicky Henderson, HT); Jimmy Boyle (Billy Macdonald, HT); Alan Lawrence (Robert Dunn, 66 mins)					Andy Roddie (Burton O'Brien, 71 mins)
19y, 3m, 7d			Kenny Arthur		Alan Combe
17y, 3m, 13d			Jamie McKenzie		Gavin Galloway
20y, 3m, 1d			Alan Archibald		Barry McLaughlin
32y, 6m, 15d			Callum Milne		Paul Fenwick
27y, 5m, 21d			Gregg Watson		Norrie McWhirter
21y, 5m, 1d			Jered Stirling		Tommy Turner former Jag
31y, 0m, 23d			Jimmy Boyle		Stuart Taylor future Jag
21y, 5m, 1d			Iain Nicolson		Andy Roddie future Jag
35y, 6m, 23d			Alan Lawrence		Paul Archdeacon
34y, 9m, 3d			Chic Charnley		Steven McGarry
31y, 4m, 23d			Andy Lyons		Mark Yardley
26y, 7m, 1d
29y, 1m, 6d			Nicky Henderson		Burton O'Brien
21y, 5m, 25d			Billy Macdonald		Stephen Watson future Jag
18y, 8m, 14d			Robert Dunn		Tommy Brown

Match Report

TTA report

A header after a fine run and cross (8) and a cheeky lob over Arthur (36) put Saints well in control. Yet again loads of effort weren't enough. It might have been much worse as Saints missed chances. Lyons scored at the 2nd attempt (86) but Thistle were well beaten and McVeigh was unimpressed. “That was total rubbish”.

Media report

16-Mar-1998, The Herald

YARDLEY HITS FORM WITH A DOUBLE. St Mirren striker Mark Yardley would be the first to admit that this season has not been one of the most productive of his career. A series of injuries to the strapping Saint, plus the form of his replacements, Chris Iwelumo and Junior Mendes, have limited his first-team outings to just 14 this season and, until Saturday, he had yielded only three goals in those games.

A beautiful double against the listless Jags, though, has given new hope for a reversal of fortunes for Yardley who, in spite of his infrequent appearances this term, remains a firm favourite with the Buddies' faithful. After his match-winning performance, he admitted that his return to form had been long overdue. “That was a long time coming,” he said. “I have been disappointed with myself this season. I had a horrendous time with injuries, but I have let myself and the team down. I'm delighted to get back into the team and it really was a great result. With everyone catching up with us in the last few weeks it was important to get the result.” His two exquisite goals in the first half were the perfect antidotes for an unhappy season. The first, a glancing header which nestled into the left-hand corner of the erratic Kenny Arthur's goal, was eclipsed by a piece of finishing not unlike Paul Gascoigne's against us in Euro96. “Stuart Taylor played it inside,” he recalled. “I saw Gregg Watson coming towards me out of the corner of my eye and I just flicked it over his head. The ball hung in the air and instead of waiting for a left-foot volley - which would probably have ended up in Firhill Road - I just headed it over the keeper.” A late consolation goal by Andy Lyons was not enough to satisfy a livid John McVeigh. The Thistle head coach watched in horror as his side allowed St Mirren the space and time to coast to an easy victory. “That was total rubbish,” he commented, not one for sparing anyone's feelings. “I can't live with that. We were lacking in everything. 2-1 makes it look as if we posed them a problem - no way did we.”

Scrapbook

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PTFC Match Programme, 11th April, 1998

Stats Watch

● Andy Lyons scores his last goal for Thistle.

ongoing sequences:

● 6 League games without a win; 31st Jan 1998 to date. (Longest run since: 9 games; 27th Sep 1997 to 29th Nov 1997. Club-record: 26 games; 28th Nov 1908 to 2nd Oct 1909.)

● 7 competitive games without a win, 24th Jan 1998 to date. (Longest run since: 9 games, 27th Sep 1997 to 29th Nov 1997. Club-record: 26 games, 28th Nov 1908 to 28th Aug 1909.)

● 31 consecutive competitive appearances for Jimmy Boyle, 2nd Aug 1997 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: David Farrell - 40 games, 12th Oct 1996 to 18th Oct 1997. 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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