27th Sep 2008 Livingston 3 Partick Thistle 1 (SFL First Division - game 8)

matches:2008-09: ← 20game 2122 →

Match Information

			Roberto Landi		Ian McCall			43y, 11m, 28d
					Paul Paton; Willie Kinniburgh; Scott Chaplain; Damon Gray; Steven Lennon
					Simon Storey; Marc Twaddle; Stephen McKeown; Simon Donnelly; Mark Roberts
Murray Davidson (0-1, 6 mins); Calum Elliot (0-2, 18 mins); Calum Elliot (1-3, 81 mins)					Ian Maxwell (1-2, 27 mins)
Tony McParland (Fernando Giarrizzo, 77 mins)					Steven Lennon (Marc Twaddle, HT); Paul Paton (Simon Donnelly, HT); Kevin McKinlay (Mark Roberts, 66 mins)
			Pierre Martini		Jonny Tuffey			21y, 8m, 7d
			Dave MacKay		Paul Paton			21y, 5m, 9d
			Jason Talbot		Kevin McKinlay			22y, 6m, 30d
			James McPake		John A. Robertson			32y, 5m, 30d
			Liam Fox		Willie Kinniburgh			24y, 0m, 19d
			Chris Innes		Ian Maxwell			33y, 4m, 25d
			Tony McParland		Scott Chaplain			25y, 0m, 17d
			Murray Davidson		David Rowson			32y, 0m, 13d
			Calum Elliot		Damon Gray			20y, 2m, 16d
			Rocco Quinn		Steven Lennon			20y, 8m, 7d
			Joe Hamill		Gary Harkins			23y, 8m, 25d
								25y, 2m, 19d
			former Jag Roddy McKenzie		Craig Hinchliffe			36y, 4m, 22d
			future Jag Gary Miller		Simon Donnelly			33y, 9m, 26d
			Fernando Giarrizzo		Mark Roberts			32y, 10m, 29d
			Jean Cuenca		Simon Storey			26y, 3m, 22d
			Cammy MacDonald		Marc Twaddle			22y, 1m, 0d

Match Report

TTA report

Top of the league Livingston took the lead (6) when a shot going nowhere took a wicked deflection. 12 minutes later it was 2-0 then Maxwell touched in a McKinlay shot (27). It could have been 3-1 or 2-2 before half-time as chances were missed. A 3rd goal (81) put the game safe for Livingston. Tired legs and minds after Rangers?

Media report

27-Sep-2008, ptfc.co.uk

After 120 strength sapping minutes of action against Rangers on Wednesday night Ian McCall, as expected, took the opportunity to freshen up the side for this fixture with Livingston. Of those that started against Rangers only Jonny Tuffey, Kevin McKinlay, John Robertson, Ian Maxwell, David Rowson and Gary Harkins took up starting positions for a fixture that would take Thistle to the top of the First Division were they to win it.

Livi were first to show in this game and a patient passing move in the 3rd minute ended with Callum Elliot sending a shot across the face of Jonny Tuffey's goal. The home team's bright opening continued and in the 5th minute Jason Talbot touched a free kick into the path of David McKay but Tuffey made an easy save. Livi were in front a minute later in fairly bizarre circumstances. An Elliot shot was heading nowhere in particular until it took a deflection off Murray Davidson and from there over the head of Tuffey and into the net. In the 18th minute Livi extended their advantage to 2-0. Paul Paton got into all kinds of trouble with Joe Hamill seizing upon his error before crossing for Callum Elliot to slam the ball low and hard past Jonny Tuffey. McPake and Elliot exchanged passes before McParland rather snatched at a shot as Livi started to exert an even stronger grip on the game. Thistle struggling to maintain possession for any significant length of time. Thistle though won the game's first corner in the 27th minute and from that corner reduced the leeway to just one goal. Stevie Lennon's corner dropped to Kevin McKinlay and his shot was touched home by Ian Maxwell to provide Thistle with some hope and the Thistle defender his 4th goal of the season. Maxwell's goal certainly sparked some life into the Thistle performance and in the 42nd minute Thistle came close to levelling the scores. Damon Gray, getting little joy from the Livi defence with the ball in the air, had more success when it was on the deck and he slipped the ball through to Gary Harkins. Harkins though, albeit from an angle, got the direction of his shot wrong and Martini wasn't required to make a save. It could have been a costly miss as Livi in their very next attack nearly made it 3-1. Murray Davidson smacking a shot off the Thistle bar from 25 yards out. In a match that Thistle were perhaps lucky to still be in on the stroke of half-time a Paul Paton cross right across the Livi six yard box was very nearly turned in by Kevin McKinlay. It had, though, been a first half dominated by the home side with Thistle exhibiting all the classic signs of suffering a hangover from Wednesday's heartbreak against Rangers.

In attempt to rescue something from this game Ian McCall made a couple of changes at the break. Left behind in the dressing room were Paul Paton and Steven Lennon with their places being taken by Simon Donnelly and Marc Twaddle. Thistle had the glimpse of a chance in the 49th minute. Kevin McKinlay threaded the ball through in the direction of Damon Gray but Martini in the Livi goal was sharp to the situation and was able to get to the ball a shade in front of Gray to snuff out the danger. A third Livi goal would surely have sealed the points and in the 51st minute Callum Elliot was able to steal in behind the Thistle defence to get his head to a free kick but there was no power behind his header and Tuffey easily gathered the ball. In the 65th minute Thistle made their third and final change when Mark Roberts replaced Kevin McKinlay. Livi came close to scoring the goal that would have restored their two goal advantage in the 67th minute. McParland pushed the ball through to Rocco Quinn but Quinn when left with just Tuffey to beat sent his shot wide of target. Two minutes later Hamill tested Tuffey with a snap shot from the edge of the box but although his shot was powerful it was straight at the Thistle keeper. In the 81st minute Livingston all but made the game safe. Pushing men forward Thistle always looked vulnerable to a Livi counter attack and when Livi broke three on one a third Livingston goal looked inevitable. The danger looked to be over, however, when Giarrizzo's cross looked like drifting wide of goal but Rocco Quinn was able to pull the ball back for Callum Elliot to bundle home his second goal of the afternoon. Mark Roberts saw a shot creep wide of goal with 5 minutes remaining as Thistle looked to spark an unlikely comeback. Thistle could have made Livi sweat with a goal right on the 90th minute mark. Roberts pushed the ball through to Simon Donnelly but Donnelly's effort was blocked at the expense of an unproductive Thistle corner. Just to what degree Wednesday's efforts could account for this result is open to debate but there was no doubt that the home side deserved their win as they maintained their position at the top of the First Division. Organised at the back and with pace up front they will not be easy dislodged.

Scrapbook

magnifiable if deemed necessary by your browser

PTFC Match Programme, 4th October, 2008

Stats Watch

● Ian Maxwell scores his last goal for Thistle.

ongoing sequences:

● 18 consecutive competitive appearances for Scott Chaplain, 13th Apr 2008 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Simon Storey - 40 games, 1st Dec 2007 to 24th Sep 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.

.

match hubs