15th Mar 2003 Partick Thistle 0 Hibernian 1 (Scottish Premier League - game 31)

matches:2002-03: ← 39game 4041 →

62y, 0m, 13d	John Lambie	Bobby Williamson

no changes
no changes

		Tam McManus (0-1, 15 mins)
Gerry Britton		Grant Brebner

Jamie Buchan (Barry Elliot, 70 mins)		Mixu Paatelainen (Gary O'Connor, 56 mins); Tam McManus (Derek Riordan, 81 mins)

24y, 3m, 8d	Kenny Arthur	Nick Colgan
25y, 4m, 12d	David Lilley	Matthias Doumbe
25y, 3m, 2d	Alan Archibald	Janos Matyus
26y, 4m, 14d	Stephen Craigan	Matthias Jack
30y, 10m, 2d	Scott Paterson	Craig James
25y, 11m, 12d	Jamie Buchan	Ian Murray
26y, 10m, 21d	Martin Hardie	Grant Brebner
32y, 4m, 23d	Gerry Britton	Gary Smith
29y, 7m, 11d	Alex Burns	John O'Neil
29y, 3m, 10d	Derek Fleming	Tam McManus
26y, 6m, 1d	David Rowson	Mixu Paatelainen

27y, 6m, 8d

28y, 5m, 27d	Kevin Budinauckas	Daniel Andersson
21y, 0m, 13d	Andy S. Gibson	Frederic Arpinon
22y, 1m, 11d	Ricky Waddell	Derek Townsley
28y, 6m, 16d	Ian Ross	Gary O'Connor
24y, 4m, 19d	Barry Elliot	Derek Riordan

TTA report

Shot-shy strikers let Thistle down. “It was a scrappy, stop-start match“ (GH). Burns (whose goal touch had deserted him of late) missed a good chance before Hibs took the lead (15). Too often Thistle's attacks were rushed and impulsive and mid-table Hibs sat comfortably defending their slender lead. Still 10th.

Media report

15-Mar-2003, bbc.com

HIBS STING THISTLE. Hibernian scrapped their way to their first league win of 2003 at the expense of battling Partick Thistle. Tam McManus gave the visitors an early lead at Firhill with his tenth goal of the season. Thistle had the bulk of possession after going behind but their attacks were one-dimensional and Hibs held on to take the points. The win takes the Easter Road side level on points with sixth-placed Dundee, but the Tayside outfit have a better goal-difference. The Jags remain four points ahead of bottom club Motherwell.

During a scrappy opening period, Hibs goalkeeper Nick Colgan made a mess of an attempted clearance - thumping his kick against Thistle striker Gerry Britton, but the loose ball was cleared by defender Mathias Doumbe. Hibs opened the scoring after 15 minutes with McManus grabbing his fourth goal in four games. Mixu Paatelainen and Matthias Jack combined neatly and the German midfielder was allowed to lumber forward unopposed before finding McManus with an angled pass that allowed the striker to clip a first time effort past Kenny Arthur from 12 yards. The Jags responded well to the early set-back but, in their eagerness to get forward, were guilty of falling into the Hibs offside trap on numerous occasions. Alex Burns brought the home fans to life with a well-hit drive from 25 yards out which Colgan had to divert for a corner. As the home side continued to press, David Lilley could only head a difficult back post chance wide and David Rowson drilled a long range shot a yard wide. With 34 minutes gone Martin Hardie came within inches of an equalising goal for Thistle when he cleverly twisted past two Hibs defenders and curled a shot narrowly wide of the target from the right edge of the penalty area.

The second half began with Thistle again getting forward in numbers but their attacks continued to lack invention. A high ball into the Hibs box had the visitors at sixes and sevens and when the ball broke to Hardie just a few yards from goal Colgan was required to make a vital block low by the post. Barry Elliot had the ball in the Hibs net in the 80th minute, but the Jags substitute had strayed offside before tucking the ball past Colgan. The Irish keeper then had to race out of his area to clear as Burns threatened to break through. With five minutes remaining, Arthur made his first save of the match - tipping over a powerful long range strike from John O'Neil. Substitute Garry O'Connor did well to fashion a scoring chance in the dying seconds but a sliding tackle from Alan Archibald denied the Hibs youngster.

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