31st Oct 1998 Alloa Athletic 3 Partick Thistle 1 (SFL Second Division - game 13)

matches:1998-99: ← 18game 1920 →

Match Information

			Tom Hendrie		Tommy Bryce			38y, 9m, 4d
					Tommy Callaghan; Willie Callaghan; Craig Flannigan
					Martin Lauchlan; Alan Morgan; Robert Dunn
Willie Irvine (0-1, 12 mins); Paul Simpson (0-2, 19 mins); Martin Cameron (1-3, 44 mins)					Craig Flannigan (1-2, 20 mins)
Mark Nelson; Stuart Wilson					Graham Connell; Sammy Johnston
Mark Donaghy (Davie Pew, 57 mins); Lloyd Haddow (Mark Wilson, 58 mins); Martin Cameron (Gregor McKechnie, 88 mins)					David Kennedy (Sammy Johnston, HT); Tommy Bryce (Robert Dunn, 79 mins)
			former Jag Mark Cairns		Stevie Ross			33y, 9m, 4d
			Lloyd Haddow		David Kennedy			32y, 0m, 24d
			Paul McAneny		Des McKeown			28y, 9m, 13d
			Craig Valentine		Kevin Gaughan			20y, 7m, 25d
			Mark Nelson		Alan Archibald			20y, 10m, 18d
			Stuart Wilson		Graham Connell			24y, 0m, 0d
			former Jag Mark Donaghy		Tommy Callaghan			29y, 2m, 3d
			Willie Irvine		Tommy Bryce			38y, 9m, 4d
			Paul Simpson		Willie Callaghan			31y, 7m, 8d
			future Jag Martin Cameron		Craig Flannigan			25y, 8m, 20d
			Mark Cowan		Paul McDonald			30y, 6m, 11d
								28y, 8m, 19d
			Mark Wilson		Robert Dunn			19y, 4m, 3d
			Davie Pew		Sammy Johnston			31y, 6m, 18d
			Gregor McKechnie		Scott McArthur			30y, 8m, 3d

Match Report

TTA report

The slide down the table continued. Thistle threatened several times before Alloa went 2-up (12 and 19). Flannigan (on his debut) scored (20) set up by Callaghan but Alloa scored again a min before half-time. Thistle dominated the second half, hit the woodwork twice but couldn't reduce the deficit. Very poor defending.

Media report

01-Nov-1998, Scotland on Sunday

THISTLE NOW BEGINNING TO FLAG IN PROMOTION BATTLE. THE scoreline is incontrovertible yet it could all have been so different. Had Thistle's player/manager Tommy Bryce controlled a Tommy Callaghan pass inside the box he would surely have given his side a fourth-minute lead. Who knows what might have then transpired. Instead it was Alloa who capitalised on an early error. Lloyd Haddow's long throw sparked confusion in the Thistle rearguard. With his marker caught ball-watching, Paul Simpson headed the ball across goal where player manager Willie Irvine bundled the ball home.

Thistle's poor finishing was the source of their downfall. And when Irvine's corner flew to the back post Haddow deftly headed it across goal for Paul Simpson to bullet a header into the back of the net. But as is often the case when a side stretches ahead Alloa lost their concentration. Alan Archibald's speculative long ball caught Mark Cowan napping and the Thistle trialist seized his opportunity to impress by lobbing the ball over the advancing Cairns. A Thistle resurgence appeared to be on the cards as they pressurised the creaking Alloa defence. But as they went on the offensive the home side caught them with a sucker punch. Irvine's involvement was again crucial. He crossed for Simpson whose shot was fumbled by Stevie Ross in the Partick goal. The ball arrived at the feet of Martin Cameron who hammered it into the roof of the net just seconds before half-time. Alloa were prepared to draw Partick on to them in the second half confident of their ability to wreak havoc on the counter-attack. Thistle almost caught them out on two occasions as first Bryce then substitute Robert Dunn both cracked the bar from distance. The longer the match progressed, however, the less potent were Thistle's attacks. Partick Thistle are now beginning to lose touch with promotion. For newly-promoted Alloa the outlook is distinctly rosier.

Stats Watch

● 25-year-old Craig Flannigan makes his Thistle debut and joins our scoring debutants club with his one and only goal for Thistle.

● Thistle's joint-record margin of defeat against Alloa Athletic.

ongoing sequences:

● 14 consecutive competitive appearances for David Kennedy (a new personal best), Graham Connell (a new personal best) & Tommy Bryce (a new personal best), 1st Aug 1998 to date. (Longest run since: Martin Lauchlan - 19 games, 21st Mar 1998 to 11th Oct 1998. 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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