28th Aug 1999 Partick Thistle 2 Queen of the South 0 (SFL Second Division - game 4)

Partick Thistle – a People’s History will be the 150th anniversary book; author Kenny Pieper needs your memories and stories from following the Jags… read more on the club website or get straight to it by e-mailing: ku.oc.cftp|051#ku.oc.cftp|051

matches:1999-00: ← 08game 0910 →

Match Information

58y, 5m, 26d			John Lambie		George Rowe
					Ken Eadie
David Elliot
Isaac English
David Elliot (1-0, 5 mins); Des McKeown (2-0, 76 mins)
					Marc Cleeland; Paul Harvey
Robert Dunn (Isaac English, 72 mins); Stephen Docherty (Eddie McGuinness, 83 mins); Scott Miller (Eric Paton, 83 mins)					George Rowe (Kevin Robison, HT); Steve Leslie (Billy Findlay, 55 mins); Denis Boyle (Lee Bailey, 61 mins)
24y, 11m, 12d			Kevin Budinauckas		John Hillcoat former Jag
26y, 0m, 21d			Gavin Duncan		Sandy Hodge former Jag
29y, 7m, 10d			Des McKeown		Andy Aitken
38y, 4m, 11d			Ray Montgomerie		George Rowe
34y, 2m, 20d			Kenny Brannigan		Marc Cleeland
21y, 8m, 15d			Alan Archibald		Paul Stewart
23y, 6m, 10d			Stephen Docherty		Paul Harvey
37y, 7m, 25d			Albert Craig		Denis Boyle
24y, 3m, 24d			Scott Miller		Steve Leslie
20y, 2m, 0d			Robert Dunn		Stevie Mallan
29y, 9m, 15d			David Elliot		Brian Caldwell
28y, 2m, 17d
27y, 9m, 16d			Isaac English		Kevin Robison
21y, 0m, 27d			Eric Paton		Billy Findlay
30y, 3m, 11d			Eddie McGuinness		Lee Bailey

Match Report

TTA report

A win at last! Elliot (back at the club) scored with a 25-yard shot (5). McKeown dislocated his shoulder and had to go off to have it put back in place (15) but he came back on. The game was in the balance until he slid in at an Elliot corner to double the lead 14 minutes from time. Thistle remained 2nd bottom.

Media report

30-Aug-1999, Daily Record

THISTLE HERO DES VOWS TO SHOULDER ON. TWO strange things happened at Firhill on Saturday - Partick Thistle won their first points of the season and Des McKeown scored his first ever goal for the club. McKeown's feat was remarkable because he had to go off after 15 minutes to have a dislocated shoulder put back in place. But he came back on to score the clinching goal that finally killed off Queen of the South's challenge in the 76th minute. McKeown revealed that the injury to his shoulder, which keeps popping out during games, will end his career early. But he is not prepared to give up the game just yet and is determined to soldier on. He said: “A specialist told me 10 days ago that if I get a pin inserted then it would be highly likely that I would be unable to continue playing at this level. I don't want to quit the game so I don't want an operation at the moment. I don't want to do anything to jeopardise my career because I have worked hard to get where I am. My shoulder manoeuvres back in very quickly with some simple manipulation. I don't have to do what Mel Gibson does in Lethal Weapon by banging it off a door.” The 29-year-old insisted he was desperate to get back on and help the Jags to their first league win. He said: “To be fair we have not played that badly in most of our games but our results have not been too clever so I was keen to get back on as I did not want to disrupt the shape of the team. It was important we took something from the game.” McKeown enjoyed scoring against his former club and revealed that it was his first strike for the Jags. He said: “I was delighted because I don't score many. I think my best tally for a season was five with Queens two seasons ago. The game was still hanging in the balance at that point but it was a good feeling to come back on and score, especially after being taken off injured. Hopefully now we can string a few victories together and start climbing the league.”

Thistle got off to a flyer in just five minutes when David Elliot cracked in a 25-yard shot. And it was an Elliot corner which led to the second when McKeown slid in to stab the ball into the net from eight yards. It should have sent the fans home happy - but a section of the Firhill crowd seem intent on venting their anger and frustration on certain players. Skipper Kenny Brannigan was singled out for treatment from the boo-boys. McKeown knows how that feels - he was a target for similar abuse last year when he was captain. But he insisted it is not a curse of the armband. He said: “I got a bit of stick last season but the supporters demand and expect a lot from this club. They do not like the fact that we are in the Second Division as we are a big club. Kenny Brannigan is taking a bit of flak but he has been around for some 20 years as a professional footballer and he is big enough and experienced enough to come through that. Kenny wears his heart on his sleeve and I would like to think that the Jags fans will get right behind him and start supporting him soon.”

Jags boss John Lambie was delighted with the win but he still tips Ross County to be crowned champions. He said: “A lot of the teams in this division have improved beyond recognition - like Alloa and Arbroath who have been allowed to strengthen. But I still take County to win the title. My budget's dead for the season and I could only bring in six junior players. I don't know what Namibian Quenton Jacobs will bring to us but he must be good if he is an international player. And if he is the type of player that they say he is, and he can go past people, then he'll excite me and the fans.”

Queens player boss George Rowe said: “There were far too many of my players off form. We had a bad day at the office. John Lambie has Thistle working hard. Now they are off the mark, I won't be surprised to see them grind out results.”

Stats Watch

● Des McKeown scores his first goal for Thistle.

ongoing sequences:

● 9 consecutive competitive appearances for Alan Archibald, 8th May 1999 to date. (Longest run since: Kenny Arthur - 24 games, 28th Nov 1998 to 17th Jul 1999. 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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