9th Aug 2008 Airdrie United 0 Partick Thistle 1 (SFL First Division - game 2)

matches:2008-09: ← 10game 1112 →

Match Information

			Kenny Black		Ian McCall			43y, 10m, 10d
					Ian Maxwell; Scott Chaplain; Gary Harkins
					Stephen McKeown; Ryan McStay; Kevin McKinlay
					Damon Gray (1-0, 74 mins)
Steven McDougall (Stuart Noble, 76 mins); Kevin McDonald (Scott McLaughlin, 78 mins); Joe Cardle (Stephen McGuire, 86 mins)					Scott Chaplain (Stephen McKeown, HT); Simon Donnelly (Kevin McKinlay, 84 mins)
			Stephen Robertson		Jonny Tuffey			21y, 6m, 20d
			former Jag Marc Smyth		Paul Paton			21y, 3m, 22d
			Matt Hazley		Marc Twaddle			21y, 11m, 13d
			Kevin McDonald		Simon Storey			26y, 2m, 4d
			Bobby Donnelly		John A. Robertson			32y, 4m, 12d
			David Nixon		Ian Maxwell			33y, 3m, 7d
			Steven McDougall		Scott Chaplain			24y, 10m, 30d
			Stephen McKenna		David Rowson			31y, 10m, 26d
			former Jag Paul Di Giacomo		Damon Gray			20y, 0m, 29d
			former Jag Simon Lynch		Simon Donnelly			33y, 8m, 8d
			future Jag Joe Cardle		Gary Harkins			23y, 7m, 7d
								26y, 5m, 8d
			Lee Hollis		Craig Hinchliffe			36y, 3m, 4d
			Darren Smith		Willie Kinniburgh			23y, 11m, 1d
			Scott McLaughlin		Stephen McKeown			27y, 0m, 23d
			former Jag Stuart Noble		Kevin McKinlay			22y, 5m, 12d
			Stephen McGuire		Ryan McStay			22y, 8m, 5d

Match Report

TTA report

Airdrie had the best of the first 20 minutes or so and should have taken the lead but Thistle came into it and the their keeper was busy before half-time. Increasingly it looked like “first goal's the winner“ and it came on 75 from Gray from a Paton cross as Thistle counter-attacked from a contentious Airdrie corner. No bookings!

Media report

09-Aug-2008, ptfc.co.uk

Thistle extended their winning start to the season to four games with a, just about, deserved win against Airdrie United. After making a number of changes for the midweek cup tie with Forfar it was very much as you were for this fixture with Simon Donnelly replacing the injured Mark Roberts the only change to the side that had started the league season with a win against Dunfermline Athletic. David Rowson making his 100th Thistle appearance in his traditional midfield berth.

The first 20 minutes of this game belonged to an industrious and energetic home team and they may well feel that the failure to convert a couple of excellent chances during that period ultimately cost them the game. In the 10th minute Matthew Hazley skipped clear down the Thistle left. His cross was headed by Simon Lynch into the path of Paul Di Giacomo who from the edge of the box thumped a shot off the base of the Thistle post. He was much closer than his team mate Steven McDougall was 4 minutes later. After being nicely set up directly in front of the Thistle goal he could do no better than send his shot high over the bar. Some half-hearted appeals for a penalty after Scott Chaplain had been barged in the box in the 8th minute aside it took Thistle until the 18th minute to pose a genuine threat to the Airdrie United goal. Gary Harkins broke from midfield before an interchange of passes between Simon Donnelly and Damon Gray finished with the formers’ shot comfortably saved by Robertson. Robertson had another comfortable save to make when Marc Twaddle managed to get his head to an Ian Maxwell long throw but Thistle were beginning to make an impact upon the game. In the 27th minute Simon Donnelly cut inside before seeing a shot deflected wide of goal for Thistle’s first corner of the afternoon and seven minutes later Gary Harkins tested Robertson from distance after Damon Gray had been beaten to a high ball by an Airdrie United defender. Paul Paton was beginning to get some joy down the Thistle right and in the 41st minute his cross looked to have provided Simon Donnely with a glimpse of goal but Donnelly, who produced an excellent performance, was tackled before managing to fire a shot towards goal. The corner that followed was only partially cleared and Ian Maxwell sent in a shot from the edge of the box but ti was always heading away from goal.

Thistle started Stephen McKeown on for Scott Chaplain but it was the home side that started the half the better. In the 50th minute Jonny Tuffey did well to block a Joe Cradle shot but former Thistle trialist Simon Lynch will feel that he should have done better than send the rebound harmlessly wide of goal. Tuffey had another save from Cardle and a McKenna cross just needed a touch in front of goal as Thistle had an uncertain ten minutes or so. Once again though Airdrie were unable to take advantage of this short period of ascendancy. Simon Donnelly was at the heart of most things for Thistle and in the 58th minute after neat play between him and Gary Harkins he sent a shot wide of goal. Three minutes later there were loud appeals for a Thistle penalty when Gary Harkins went to ground just inside the Airdrie box after he and Donnelly had again combined with telling affect. After two goals in midweek Damon Gray was nearly on target again in the 63rd minute. Paul Paton’s back post cross picked out Gray whose header was blocked at the expense of a corner. This game was looking more and more likely to be settled by just a single goal and as the match moved into its last quarter Thistle were looking the more likely to find that goal. In the 72nd minute a shot through a ruck of players from Stephen McKeown was just a little too straight to unduly worry Robertson in the Airdrie United goal. The game’s winning goal was not long in coming though. A contentious decision to award Airdrie a corner provoked a furious reaction from the Thistle fans but when that corner was cleared an incisive Thistle break put the home defence under pressure. With Airdrie outnumbered Paul Paton crossed for Damon Gray and Gray, as befitting a good striker bang in form, needed just one touch to create a better opportunity for himself before firing low and hard into the net. Naturally Airdrie pushed men forward in search of an equaliser but a solid Thistle defence dealt comfortably with most of what they had to face. Only twice did anxiety levels rise at all with Jonny Tuffey firstly being sharp off his line to clear with his feet a back pass and then being well placed to intercept a cross from substitute McGuire at his near post.

Scrapbook

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PTFC Website, 9th August, 2008

Stats Watch

● Damon Gray scores his last goal for Thistle.

ongoing sequences:

● 4 consecutive competitive wins, 26th Jul 2008 to date. (Longest run since: 4 wins, 30th Sep 2006 to 28th Oct 2006. Club-record: 10 wins, 22nd Oct 1932 to 26th Dec 1932.)

● 31 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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