24th Feb 2001 Partick Thistle 3 Stranraer 0 (SFL Second Division - game 27)

matches:2000-01: ← 34game 3536 →

Match Information

59y, 11m, 22d			John Lambie		Billy McLaren former Jag
David McCallum; Alan Archibald
Brian Hamilton; Sandy Stewart
Martin Hardie (1-0, 22 mins); Jamie Smith (2-0, 36 mins); Danny Lennon (3-0, 77 mins)
Peter Lindau (Derek Lyle, 75 mins); Martin Hardie (Willie Howie, 81 mins)					Alex Grace (Derek Rae, 18 mins); Duncan George (Paul Walker, HT); Dougie Johnstone (Tommy Bryce, 76 mins)
22y, 2m, 17d			Kenny Arthur		Mark McGeown
23y, 5m, 17d			David McCallum		Keith Knox
23y, 2m, 11d			Alan Archibald		Frazer Wright
24y, 3m, 26d			Stephen Craigan		Dougie Johnstone
22y, 7m, 13d			Jamie Smith		Allan Jenkins
29y, 11m, 14d			Mark McNally		Billy MacDonald former Jag
31y, 7m, 14d			Derek Collins		Duncan George
31y, 10m, 18d			Danny Lennon		Alex Grace
24y, 8m, 7d			Scott McLean		Mark Weir
24y, 10m, 2d			Martin Hardie		Ian Harty
28y, 2m, 15d			Peter Lindau		Mike Geraghty
26y, 1m, 3d
21y, 3m, 17d			Michael Brown		Stephen O'Neill
18y, 7m, 15d			Willie Howie		Andy Paterson
35y, 4m, 10d			Sandy Stewart		Tommy Bryce former Jag
20y, 0m, 11d			Derek Lyle		Derek Rae
33y, 6m, 19d			Brian Hamilton		Paul Walker future Jag

Match Report

TTA report

Thistle went 20 points clear of 2nd top Stranraer. Hardie scored with a fantastic header (22) and Smith headed the 2nd from a Lindau cross (36). A better Stranraer performance produced some chances that weren't taken and Lennon scored with a drive (77) to complete a comfortable win.

Media report

26-Feb-2001, Daily Record

I COULDN'T RUB OLD MATES' NOSES IN IT; Smith's Claim after Putting Boot into Stranraer. JIM SMITH saved his first goal for Thistle to shatter his old team-mates' lingering title ambitions - then admitted he couldn't bring himself to rub their noses in it. Smith, Stranraer's second-top marksman last term, rose majestically to head home the killer second as the Jags took another massive step in their stroll towards the Second Division championship. But the big centre-half, who signed on at Firhill in the summer after a year with Thistle's nearest league rivals, refused to be cocky about his exploits on Saturday. And although he conceded he had put the boot into the Stair Park club, Smith hopes his old side still secure promotion behind Jags. He said: “That was my first goal since I came here and it had to come against my former team. I suppose I have done a bit of dirty work on them. I still talk to the lads but I am not going to wind anyone up. Stranraer are a good club and I have no cross to bear - you only end up eating your own words. There are a lot of good teams chasing us but I hope Stranraer can go up as well.” Smith was reluctant to declare the title won despite Partick scorching a formidable 20 points ahead of Stranraer. But he knows, like his equally coy manager John Lambie, it won't be long before the champagne corks fly. Smith said: “Looking at the league table it seems like we just have to go out and seal the championship and we want to do that as soon as possible. But football is a funny game and teams are raising their games to play us. We still have to go out and win the matches and hopefully a few more will see us there.”

Thistle started the top-of-the-table clash superbly and should have been ahead when Danny Lennon burst through on goal only to fire tamely into the hands of Mark McGeown. Peter Lindau saw a snap shot fly over the crossbar before the outstanding David McCallum crossed for Martin Hardie to flash home a header in 22 minutes. Smith made it 2-0 with a carbon copy finish nine minutes from the break after he was set up by Lindau.

Stranraer came out fighting in the second half and substitute Paul Walker joined Mark Weir in scorning good chances to reduce the deficit. They were then made to pay when Lennon grabbed a brilliant third for the hosts 15 minutes from the end. The little skipper chested the ball down on the edge of the box before unleashing an unstoppable half volley into the corner of the net.

Lambie said: “I asked the players to respond after last week's defeat at Stenhousemuir and they certainly did. I told them I wouldn't stand for the same kind of performance and this was the best way to hit back. It is an absolutely superb result for us. However, I am not going to say too much about winning the league. Anything can happen and I am certainly not closing my book.”

Stranraer manager Billy McLaren said: “We didn't do ourselves justice. We never settled and were well below the standards we have set. I believe we can play as well as them but we lost the goals and were then chasing the game. You have to think that Thistle are there now.”

Scrapbook

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BBC, 24th February, 2001

Video Highlights

(credit: Partick Thistle Television )

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Stats Watch

● Jamie Smith scores his first goal for Thistle.

ongoing sequences:

● 13 competitive home games without defeat; 26th Aug 2000 to date. (Longest run since the club-record: 20 games; 17th Dec 1988 to 18th Nov 1989.)

● 13 home League games without defeat; 12th Aug 2000 to date. (Longest run since: 18 games; 17th Dec 1988 to 18th Nov 1989. Joint club-record: 23 games; 27th Aug 1910 to 14th Oct 1911 & 29th Aug 1970 to 6th Nov 1971.)

● 30 consecutive competitive appearances for Stephen Craigan, 8th Aug 2000 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Alan Archibald - 39 games, 8th May 1999 to 25th Mar 2000. 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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