16th Oct 2010 Partick Thistle 1 Falkirk 0 (SFL First Division - game 9)

matches:2010-11: ← 17game 1819 →

46y, 0m, 16d	Ian McCall	Stephen Pressley

Martin Hardie
Martin Grehan

Paul Paton (1-0, 16 mins)
Willie Kinniburgh; Iain Flannigan; Paul Paton; Liam Buchanan		Marc Twaddle; Carl Finnigan

Kris Doolan (Liam Buchanan, 66 mins); Martin Hardie (Martin Grehan, 72 mins); Iain Flannigan (Chris Erskine, 87 mins)		Mark Stewart (Kenny Deuchar, 63 mins); Kieran Duffie (Blair Alston, 85 mins)

30y, 0m, 15d	Bryn Halliwell	Robert Olejnik
23y, 5m, 28d	Paul Paton	Jason Marr
23y, 6m, 26d	Patrick Boyle	Marc Twaddle former Jag
36y, 11m, 22d	Jackie McNamara	Brian McLean
32y, 10m, 3d	Alan Archibald	Kieran Duffie
26y, 1m, 8d	Willie Kinniburgh	Burton O'Brien
34y, 6m, 18d	John A. Robertson	Mark Stewart former Jag
23y, 1m, 17d	Paul Cairney	Kallum Higginbotham future Jag
23y, 10m, 5d	Kris Doolan	Carl Finnigan
34y, 5m, 24d	Martin Hardie	Ryan Flynn
22y, 9m, 1d	Iain Flannigan	Chris Mitchell

28y, 4m, 5d

38y, 5m, 11d	Craig Hinchliffe	Jamie Barclay former Jag
25y, 6m, 19d	Liam Buchanan	Kenny Deuchar
26y, 0m, 7d	Martin Grehan	Craig McLeish
23y, 8m, 8d	Chris Erskine	Blair Alston future Jag
19y, 8m, 19d	Conrad Balatoni	Mehdi Khalis

notes

Programme listed ref was M. Tumilty.

TTA report

Still languishing at the bottom, a good win against 3rd placed Falkirk. Good work by on-loan Hardie set up Paton for the only goal (16). Falkirk missed a good chance to equalise just on half-time. Although they seldom threatened it was a nervy second half and the jitters lasted well into the 5 minutes added time.

Media report

16-Oct-2010, ptfc.co.uk

For the visit of Falkirk to Firhill manager Ian McCall made one change to the side that started against Ross County in the Challenge Cup. Martin Hardie, on loan from St Johnstone, making a welcome Firhill return with Martin Grehan the unlucky man to drop to the bench.

It recent weeks Thistle have made a habit of starting games well and in this match Thistle signalled their intent as early as the first minute. Neat play from Iain Flannigan on the left provided Paddy Boyle to deliver a cross into the box. Martin Hardie was able to touch the ball back to Paul Paton but he lashed the ball high over the bar. He would have better luck from a similar position later in the half. Both sides were displaying plenty of energy in the opening exchanges but that Paton chance aside there wasn’t much in the way of clear cut openings but Thistle did take the lead in the 16th minute. Martin Hardie, who had been causing no end of problems to the Falkirk defence with his aerial prowess, laid the ball back to Paul Paton. The defender had time and space to set himself up before firing past Olejnik and into the net. Five minutes later Hardie was able to latch onto a loose ball and burst into the Falkirk defence but his ball across goal was cleared by the Falkirk defence. At the other end Thistle hadn’t been unduly troubled but in the 28th minute Falkirk Willie Kinniburgh had to put his head in where it hurts to snuff out any danger with Falkirk winning a corner. When that corner came in Halliwell chose to punch clear but didn’t make proper contact with the ball and the ball was scrambled clear for another corner. In the 35th minute though his handling was much more assured as he produced a decent save at his near post to keep out a Marc Twaddle effort. With the first half in injury time Falkirk had their best chance yet to notch an equaliser. Following a corner Jason Marr’s mishit shot fell into the path of Mark Stewart but although Mark Stewart was able to reach the ball the pace of it prevented him from being able to do anything other than knock it over the bar.

The first clear chance of the second half came Falkirk’s way in the 56th minute. It was former Thistle player Marc Twaddle that caused the initial problems with a strong run down the left hand side but when his cross came in Ryan Flynn could only head the ball over the bar. Thistle were coping well with what Falkirk had to offer but defensive uncertainty in the 73rd minute gave Ryan Flynn a chance and his shot was beyond the reach of Halliwell but thankfully from a Thistle point of view also beyond the keeper’s right hand post. Two minutes later Falkirk again threatened the Thistle goal. Finnigan’s shot was straight at Halliwell but the ball squirmed from this grasp before the keeper finally grabbed the ball safely to his body. A second Thistle goal would have eased nerves as the game entered the final, nerve ridden, ten minutes and in the 82nd minute Paul Paton was able to connect with a Flannigan cross but his header looped over the bar. Two minutes later Martin Grehan was even closer to scoring a second Thistle goal, his shot being tipped over the bar by Olejnik. Falkirk were becoming increasingly frantic in their efforts to rescue a point and with four minutes remaining had the Thistle defence under pressure at a corner. Thistle managed to get the ball clear only for the ball to be returned to the box where Brian McLean sent the ball over the bar. We were well into a 5th minute of injury time when referee Somers finally blew his full-time whistle and Thistle had their third league win of the season.

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