8th Apr 2008 Partick Thistle 1 Stirling Albion 0 (SFL First Division - game 33)

matches:2007-08: ← 49game 5051 →

Match Information

43y, 6m, 9d			Ian McCall		Allan Moore former Jag
Kevin McKinlay; Ricky Little; Simon Donnelly; Vítězslav Mooc; Ryan McStay; Stevie Murray
Marc Twaddle; Willie Kinniburgh; Scott Chaplain; David Rowson; Mark Roberts; Gary Harkins
Paul Keegan (1-0, 90+1 mins)
Ryan McStay
Vítězslav Mooc (Paul Keegan, 68 mins); Damon Gray (Graeme Eaglesham, 80 mins); Stevie Murray (Pedram Ardalany, 84 mins)					Colin Cramb (Gary Muir, 68 mins); Nathan Taggart (David McKenna, 68 mins); Andy Graham (Alan Lithgow, 84 mins)
21y, 2m, 19d			Jonny Tuffey		Scott Christie
25y, 10m, 3d			Simon Storey		Andy Graham
22y, 1m, 11d			Kevin McKinlay		Paul Nugent
26y, 8m, 22d			Stephen McKeown		Laurie Ellis
18y, 10m, 19d			Ricky Little		Paul Murphy
32y, 0m, 11d			John A. Robertson		Stuart Devine
33y, 4m, 7d			Simon Donnelly		Nathan Taggart
30y, 3m, 4d			Vítězslav Mooc		Steven Bell future Jag
19y, 8m, 28d			Damon Gray		Chris Aitken
22y, 4m, 4d			Ryan McStay		Colin Cramb
24y, 11m, 21d			Stevie Murray		Jay Rodriguez
25y, 2m, 22d
35y, 11m, 3d			Craig Hinchliffe		Myles Hogarth
18y, 8m, 2d			Pedram Ardalany		Alan Lithgow
35y, 3m, 9d			Paul Keegan		Gary Muir
18y, 9m, 9d			Graeme Eaglesham		David McKenna
18y, 1m, 1d			Michael Robertson		Chris Hay

notes

Jim McNeill replaced the advertised Michael Wilson as linesman.

Match Report

TTA report

At last a win against the bottom club. With 4 players from the U-19 side in the listed 16, Thistle played some neat football but had no cutting edge. Stirling were seldom seen as an attacking force as Thistle spurned chances at the other end but just when 0-0 looked likely, Keegan scored the winner drilling in a low shot (90+).

Media Reports

09-Apr-2008, The Scotsman

STIRLING'S brave fight for First Division survival ended in the cruellest fashion last night when an injury-time goal from substitute Paul Keegan gave Partick Thistle all three points at rain-lashed Firhill. The division's only part-time club had looked like taking their struggle to at least one more game until they were sunk by one of the only dramatic moments of a lacklustre game. As expected Jags manager Ian McCall made several changes to his line-up with youngster Ricky Little making his first start in the heart of defence and Slovakian Vitezslav Mooc handed a second top team outing. Presumably the Thistle supporters will be in better voice when Rangers arrive on Scottish Cup duty on Sunday but here their backing was lukewarm in a match which often resembled a training exercise, despite what was at stake for the visitors.

Albion started brightly with skipper Chris Aitken prompting from midfield and Nathan Taggart a livewire winger who kept Partick full-back Simon Storey on his toes. One interchange between Albion's brightest duo forced Little to take the safety-first option of conceding a corner as danger loomed. However, it was the home side who carved out the first genuine chance when Stevie Murray, a match for Taggart in the tanner ba' stakes, threaded a delightful pass through to Damon Gray. The on-loan Hibs player steadied himself only to fire his shot over. A Murray corner drew a fisted clearance from Scott Christie while Stephen McKeown was crowded out by the Stirling defence following a good cross by Gray as Thistle continued to press. Thistle should have gone ahead when Gray's defence- splitting pass released Simon Donnelly but his clumsy first touch allowed Christie to race from his line and smother. The Firhill side came closer still to breaking the deadlock when Donnelly played a neat one-two with Mooc before crossing for the unmarked McKeown. The midfielder's first-time shot was netbound but Christrie spread himself to pull off an excellent instinctive save.

The home side squandered two excellent scoring opportunities early in the second half with Gray firing into the side net after Donnelly's back-heeler had created space in a crowded box. McKeown was even more culpable when he shot straight at Christie from six yards. The Jags could count themselves fortunate when Kevin McKinlay lost possession on the edge of his own box to Jay Rodriguez only for Tuffey to smother the young striker's shot. Errors began to creep into the play of both sides as Partick tired, while Stirling became increasingly desperate for the goal that might spark a Houdini act in the closing weeks of the season. They almost got it when Aitken darted deep into the box but Tuffey dived bravely at the Striling skipper's feet. Instead Partick delivered the killer blow when Graeme Eaglesham squared for fellow sub Keegan to score easily.

bbc.com

Paul Keegan scored the last-minute goal for Partick Thistle which relegates Stirling Albion from Division One. Jags manager Ian McCall rested several players ahead of Sunday's Scottish Cup quarter-final replay with Rangers. However, the home team dominated and on-loan striker Damon Gray squandered three excellent scoring chances. With time running out, Graeme Eaglesham showed great composure to square for fellow substitute Keegan to fire in the only goal of the game.

Scrapbook

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BBC, 8th April, 2008

Stats Watch

● 18-year-old Graeme Eaglesham makes his Thistle debut.

● 18-year-old Pedram Ardalany makes his Thistle debut.

● 18-year-old Ricky Little makes his Thistle debut.

● Pedram Ardalany becomes the first Iranian to play for Thistle.

● Iran becomes the 29th country/territory to birth a Jag.

● Paul Keegan scores his last goal for Thistle.

ongoing sequences:

● 23 consecutive competitive appearances for Simon Storey, 1st Dec 2007 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: David Rowson - 42 games, 4th Aug 2007 to 5th Apr 2008. 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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