9th May 1998 Partick Thistle 1 Ayr United 3 (SFL First Division - game 36)

matches:1997-98: ← 42game 4301 →

Match Information

41y, 3m, 14d			John McVeigh		Gordon Dalziel former Jag
no changes
no changes
Gareth Evans (1-1, 45 mins)					Ian Ferguson (0-1, 22 mins); Laurent D'Jaffo (1-2, 56 mins); Billy Findlay (1-3, 90 mins)
Andy Lyons; Billy Macdonald					Darren Henderson
Jered Stirling (Alex Martin, 72 mins)					Louie Donowa (Laurent D'Jaffo, 52 mins)
35y, 8m, 28d			Lindsay Hamilton		David Castilla
31y, 2m, 20d			Jimmy Boyle		John Traynor
20y, 4m, 26d			Alan Archibald		Andy Millen
27y, 7m, 18d			Gregg Watson		Derek Anderson
21y, 7m, 22d			Billy Macdonald		Colin Miller
21y, 6m, 26d			Jered Stirling		Billy Findlay
17y, 7m, 8d			Martin Lauchlan		Louie Donowa
29y, 3m, 1d			Nicky Henderson		John Davies
35y, 8m, 20d			Alan Lawrence		Ian Ferguson
31y, 3m, 25d			Gareth Evans		Paul Shepherd
31y, 6m, 20d			Andy Lyons		Darren Henderson
27y, 7m, 8d
21y, 6m, 26d			Iain Nicolson		Mark Duthie
18y, 8m, 21d			Alex Martin		Laurent D'Jaffo
17y, 5m, 10d			Jamie McKenzie		Kevin McKeown

notes

Kick-off delayed by 10 minutes from the scheduled 3pm.

Match Report

TTA report

A win would have saved Thistle and relegated Ayr. MacDonald mishit a free-kick straight to an Ayr player who ran on and scored (22). Evans equalised with a header just on half-time but 2 fine goals (56 and 90) saw Ayr safe and Thistle relegated 2 points from safety. McVeigh was sacked 15 May. Could things get worse?

Media report

11-May-1998, The Herald

AYR VICTORY CONDEMNS BRAVE THISTLE. THEY fought like Trojans to save their side in their darkest hour: unfortunately for Partick Thistle, they were also slain like them. There was even a touch of the Trojan horse, that most spectacular of own goals, about the way the famous Glasgow club made their sad, yet heroic, journey into the second division for the first time since league reconstruction in 1974. However, the victorious invaders from the south left fortress Firhill standing and Thistle's generals were able to promise, despite fears that their Greek tragedy would end with their death, that they and their troops would be back to complete at least another chapter in their rollercoaster history. As Ayr United's jubilant fans marched down Maryhill Road in celebration of the win that secured another year in the first division, chairman Brown McMaster was able to offer a crumb of comfort to the Thistle fans who arrived in amazing numbers and left in deathly silence. Insisting that relegation would not see a return to the financial crisis that so recently brought the club close to extinction, only to be saved by the generosity of their fans, McMaster said: “I suppose the crowds will go down, but today more than 7000 people came here to support Partick Thistle and that means a lot of people want to come and watch this club. We have to be positive. I was just saying to John McVeigh that the new season starts on Monday.” That will come as a bit of a surprise to some observers, who interpreted McMaster's comments the previous weekend as indicating that an irreparable split existed between the chairman and head coach. However, McMaster insisted: “I am delighted with John McVeigh and have had no problems with him.”

It will not be as easy to hang on to their prize possession, central defender Alan Archibald, who again was the colossus in the Thistle defence. McVeigh admitted that Thistle had no chance of hanging on to the young player who had been told prior to Saturday's match that he will be in the Scotland Under-21 squad for their next three matches. Not that McMaster thought it would be too difficult to find quality players to replace him. “It will be an interesting pre- season,” he suggested. “If the big clubs are not going to be playing reserve football, then they are not going to carry squads of 40 to 50 players, so there will be a huge number out of contract. I don't think anyone will be spending money in the first or second division. I think it will be a matter of money going into players' contracts.” McVeigh, as positive as ever, added: “I came in a week before the start of last season when pre-season was already finished. Now I have the chance to sit down and bring in my own guys here.” No surprise then that 36-year-old striker Alan Lawrence, out of contract in June, for one, suggested that relegation could have signalled the end of his career. The club coach, meanwhile, was also determined to provide the kind of “silky soccer” that would attract back those fans who arrived in such numbers that Saturday's kick-off had to be delayed for some 15 minutes. “There are no excuses: we were poor today and Ayr thoroughly deserved their victory,” he admitted. “It doesn't happen in one game. You are either good enough or you're not and we have not been good enough. I can't take anything away from our boys for the good results over the previous four weeks. We just did not have enough left in the tank.”

They fought bravely on Saturday and threatened to sweep Ayr aside until a stunning, self-inflicted body blow. Last man Billy Macdonald appeared to mis-time his pass as he attempted a quick free kick on the halfway line, Ian Ferguson intercepted and ran on to round goalkeeper Lindsay Hamilton and drive home the first nail in the coffin. Thistle claimed that Macdonald had only been giving the ball to Jimmy Boyle to take the kick and that the Ayr striker was less than 10 yards away, but the goal stood. Gareth Evans headed Thistle level just before the break, but the expected onslaught in search of the win they needed failed to materialise. The introduction of substitute striker Laurent Djaffo inspired Ayr to victory, swivelling past Gregg Watson on the edge of the box and gliding his shot into the corner of the net. Billy Findlay's equally superb drive into the top corner of the net then sent the Ayr fans into rapture.

United's manager, Gordon Dalziel, greeted the much-needed 3-1 result as much out of relief as delight. Having given four teams- worth of talent the chance to prove themselves throughout the season, he admitted that he feared the right blend had arrived a little too late. “We were getting players in on monthly contracts and I wasn't happy with that,” he said. “I had a word with the chairman and we went out and got the likes of John Davies, Billy Findlay and Colin Miller in and all of a sudden they looked a right good side. In fact, Billy limped out of training on Friday with a bad injury, but he said he would play even if it meant he could not walk on Sunday. I am just delighted it all came right for the players and the couple of thousand fans we brought here - they have been magnificent all season.” Now chairman Bill Barr was looking forward to a less hazardous future and the building of a new arena in Ayr fit to house yet more historic battles.

Video Highlights

(credit: Scottish Television )

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Stats Watch

● The closing game of the 123rd season of Partick Thistle F.C.

● 21-year-old Billy Macdonald plays his last game for Thistle.

● 29-year-old Nicky Henderson plays his last game for Thistle.

● 31-year-old Andy Lyons plays his last game for Thistle.

● 31-year-old Jimmy Boyle plays his last game for Thistle.

● 35-year-old Alan Lawrence plays his last game for Thistle.

● 35-year-old Lindsay Hamilton plays his last game for Thistle.

● 31-year-old Gareth Evans plays his last game for Thistle and marks the occasion by scoring his final goal for the club.

● The seventeenth managerial reign ends with John McVeigh's last game in charge as Thistle are relegated to the 3rd Tier of Scottish League football for the one and only time in the club's history.

● Partick Thistle are relegated for the seventh time, and fall to the third tier of Scottish League football for the first time in the history of the club.

ongoing sequences:

● 39 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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