3rd Mar 2001 Partick Thistle 2 Queen's Park 1 (SFL Second Division - game 28)

matches:2000-01: ← 35game 3637 →

60y, 0m, 1d	John Lambie	John McCormack former Jag

Sandy Stewart
Mark McNally

Scott McLean (1-0, 11 mins); Jamie Smith (2-1, 50 mins)		Stephen Marshall (1-1, 37 mins)
		Danny Ferry; Stephen Marshall; Greg Miller

Peter Lindau (Derek Lyle, 71 mins)		Ritchie Sinclair (Stewart Orr, 65 mins); Willie Martin (Herve Martin, 71 mins); Kevin Finlayson (Ryan Scobie, 76 mins)

22y, 2m, 24d	Kenny Arthur	Barry John Corr
23y, 5m, 24d	David McCallum	Ritchie Sinclair
23y, 2m, 18d	Alan Archibald	Paul Borland
24y, 4m, 2d	Stephen Craigan	Denis Connaghan future Jag
22y, 7m, 20d	Jamie Smith	Ross Caven
35y, 4m, 17d	Sandy Stewart	Danny Ferry
31y, 7m, 21d	Derek Collins	Kevin Finlayson
31y, 10m, 25d	Danny Lennon	Stephen Marshall
24y, 8m, 14d	Scott McLean	Steven Canning
24y, 10m, 9d	Martin Hardie	Willie Martin
28y, 2m, 22d	Peter Lindau	Greg Miller

26y, 7m, 8d

21y, 3m, 24d	Michael Brown	Gordon Bruce
20y, 0m, 18d	Derek Lyle	John Cunningham
33y, 6m, 26d	Brian Hamilton	Stewart Orr
18y, 7m, 22d	Willie Howie	Ryan Scobie
36y, 2m, 6d	Allan Moore	Herve Martin

TTA report

McLean scored (11) with a shot on the turn. Queens levelled with a bullet header at a free-kick (37) but Smith headed the winning goal from a Collins cross (50) to complete a whitewash over Queens who had been top of the league in September but now slipping down the league. 23 points clear at the top.

Media report

20-Mar-2001, Daily Record

THE HEAT'S OFF; LAMBIE CAN CHILL OUT AS JAGS ARE SO FAR IN FRONT. JOHN LAMBIE gave his players one of his famous half-time roastings to fire them to victory in Glasgow's other derby. But the Jags boss can now turn down the heat both on and off the pitch. Thistle are 23 points ahead of their nearest rivals following victory over Queen's Park on Saturday and some of the chasing pack face playing three games a week. Lambie's outfit have only eight games to play thanks to the undersoil heating at Firhill. The advantage, however, has come at a hefty price for the Second Division side. Lambie, unhappy with the 1-1 scoreline at the break, said: “The undersoil heating costs £300 a day to run so its cost us £1200 over the last four days. It's worth it if we can play games when others can't because of the weather. The pressure is on the rest now. Look at poor Berwick, for example, they'll have three games a week until the end of the season.”

Unlike some clubs Thistle will have a free Saturday when Scotland take on Belgium on March 24 and Lambie intends taking a well-earned break. He said: “Thankfully we are up to date so it means I can take a holiday when the Scotland game is on. I'm 60-years-old now and I need the sun. I'll also be getting the golf clubs out.” If you're a Jags fan it's time to stock up on the Moet because quite frankly only David Copperfield or a miracle of Biblical proportions could halt Thistle's promotion charge now. And while most managers would choose not to count their chickens Lambie, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, reckons he's done his sums. He said: “We deserved to win and I'm delighted with the result because the conditions were difficult. The park was as dry as a bone. We overturned Queen's Park in the second half. Scott McLean was brilliant and he could have had a hat- trick at the end. I said after the Stranraer game that another six points would win us the championship and I'm going to put my neck on the line and say that a win next week would get us up. Clyde won the league last season with 65 points and it would take a miracle from two teams to stop us gaining promotion.”

Lambie's players also treated him to a tartan-clad Big Bertha kissogram in the corporate lounge after the game as part of his birthday celebrations. However, it was the three points that really brought a smile to his face. Thistle took a deserved lead after 11 minutes. McLean latched on to Stephen Craigan's throw- in before unleashing a blistering shot from 20 yards that left Queen's Park keeper Barry John Corr with no chance. The Spiders equalised in 37 minutes. Danny Ferry's teasing free-kick left the unmarked Stephen Marshall with the easiest of headers at the back post. It was shocking defending on Thistle's part but largely thanks to the half-time rollicking the amateurs' joy was to be short lived. Five minutes after the break Thistle bagged the eventual winner. Danny Lennon fed the ball to Derek Collins and the loan star's cross was met by a majestic header from James Smith for his second goal in successive weeks. In 68 minutes Thistle should have increased their lead when McLean sent Peter Lindau clear but the Swede chose to go for glory rather than cut back for Martin Hardie who was perfectly placed in the six- yard box.

Hardie, the Bell's Player of the Month for February, admitted Lambie's blast had done the trick. He said: “Myself and Sandy Stewart had a lapse in concentration to allow Queen's Park to score but the half- time bollocking got us going again. We are not counting our chickens yet but if we win our next two games I think we can have a good swally session.” Spiders boss John McCormack had no complaints. He said: “They are by far the best team in the league. There's no doubt they'll be going up.”

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