20th Nov 2010 Stirling Albion 1 Partick Thistle 3 (Scottish Cup 3rd Round)

matches:2010-11: ← 22game 2324 →

	John O'Neill	Ian McCall	46y, 1m, 21d

		David Rowson; Kris Doolan; Chris Erskine
		Jackie McNamara; Iain Flannigan; Martin Grehan

Gordon Smith (1-1, 73 mins)		Paul Cairney (1-0, 58 mins); Simon Donnelly (2-1, 86 mins); Martin Grehan (3-1, 90 mins)
Paul McHale

Andy S. Gibson (Sylvano Comvalius, 56 mins); John Kane (Paul McHale, 72 mins); Ryan Borris (Josh Flood, 88 mins)		Kris Doolan (Simon Donnelly, 69 mins); Liam Buchanan (Martin Grehan, 82 mins); Chris Erskine (Jamie Campbell, 90 mins)

	Scott Christie	Scott Fox	23y, 4m, 23d
	Brian Allison	Paul Paton	23y, 7m, 2d
	former Jag John Kane	Patrick Boyle	23y, 8m, 0d
	former Jag Martyn Corrigan	Bryan Hodge	23y, 1m, 28d
	Scott Buist	Willie Kinniburgh	26y, 2m, 12d
	Chris Aitken	Alan Archibald	32y, 11m, 7d
	former Jag Andy S. Gibson	Paul Cairney	23y, 2m, 22d
	Jérôme Heekeng	David Rowson	34y, 2m, 6d
	Gordon Smith	Kris Doolan	23y, 11m, 9d
	future Jag Scott Robertson	Liam Buchanan	25y, 7m, 24d
	Ryan Borris	Chris Erskine	23y, 9m, 12d

			25y, 9m, 16d

	Callum Reidford	Bryn Halliwell	30y, 1m, 19d
	Paul McHale	Simon Donnelly	35y, 11m, 19d
	Sylvano Comvalius	Martin Grehan	26y, 1m, 11d
	Josh Flood	Ross McGeough	19y, 6m, 22d
	Greg McDonald	Jamie Campbell	18y, 7m, 27d

TTA report

Thistle missed early chances then Albion had a good spell and Fox had some fine saves. Cairney scored from an Erskine cross (58) to give Thistle the lead but it was 1-1 (73) then Albion hit the post. A replay looked likely until goals came late from Donnelly (on the counter, 86) and Grehan (bundled in, 90).

Media report

20-Nov-2010, ptfc.co.uk

On the weekend in which the latest five Thistle Legends were inducted into the Partick Thistle Hall of Fame the current squad attempted to write the first few paragraphs in an exciting chapter in Thistle’s history when they travelled to Forthbank to face Stirling Albion in a Scottish Cup tie. In an attempt to continue Thistle’s involvement into the New Year at the least three changes were made to the side that drew 0-0 with Morton. Injury deprived Ian McCall of the services of Iain Flannigan while Martin Grehan dropped to the bench and Jackie McNamara was left out of the sixteen entirely. In their places came in David Rowson, Kris Doolan and Chris Erskine while youngsters Ross McGeough and Jamie Campbell earned slots on the bench.

After a pre-match huddle Thistle made a determined start to this game. In the third minute Liam Buchanan saw his shot deflected for a corner and Hodge’s corner from the right caused the home defence problems before Willie Kinniburgh sent an acrobatic shot wide of target. Thistle’s promising start continued and in the 7th minute it was Kris Doolan’s turn to see a shot deflected for a corner. In the opening quarter of this game Thistle were playing plenty of neat passing football but any promising moves were breaking down in and around the edge of the Stirling box. In the 23rd minute, however, Thistle were close to taking the lead. Most of the crowd thought that Paul Cairney’s shot from 20 yards was destined for the back of the net but with Christie in the home goal struggling the ball slipped just wide of the post. Stirling had offered little up to this point but they were close to taking a 28th minute lead and would have done so had it not been a fine stop from Scott Fox after a Chris Aitken free kick had picked our Brian Allison at the back post. Fox was in action again four minutes later when he was sharp off his line to save at the feet of Scott Robertson as the Stirling player attempted to burst into the Thistle box. Even though there seemed an apparent reluctance to shoot when in position at the edge of the box Thistle should still have taken a 41st minute lead. A nice through ball from the busy Liam Buchanan picked out Paul Cairney who couldn’t get any power into his shot leaving Christie with an easy save to make when he really should have been picking the ball out the net. Christie was a little more pressed to keep out a Bryan Hodge shot at his near post with half-time just a couple of minutes away but the teams went in at the break with the game still goalless.

The first chance of the second half came Thistle’s way. A nice ball into the box from Bryan Hodge picked out Liam Buchanan who couldn’t quite get enough power into his first time shot to unduly trouble the Stirling keeper. With the Thistle fans providing excellent backing Paul Cairney was a little unfortunate to see his shot from just inside the Stirling box just clear the bar. Thistle though did score the goal that their play merited in the 58th minute and it was Cairney that scored it. Chris Erskine though had a big hand in the goal squaring from the left for Cairney to find the corner of the net with a well-placed shot. So far this season Kris Doolan has scored three times against Stirling Albion and in the 62nd minute he nearly had a fourth but his effort took a deflection off a Stirling defender and went just the wrong side of the keeper’s right hand post. With twenty minutes of the game remaining Thistle were close to scoring the second goal that would have given them some breathing space. A cross from the right found Chris Erskine and his shot was saved by the legs of Scott Christie. The next goal though came at the other end. Gordon Smith was sent clear by Ryan Borris and when left with Fox to beat he made no mistake. Now level in a game that they had hardly been in Stirling were a whisker away from the lead when less than 60 seconds after their equalising goal sub Sylvano Comvalious smacked a shot off Scott Fox’s right hand post. There were just four minutes of the game remaining when Thistle nudged themselves in front again. Stirling were caught by a swift Thistle counter attack. Martin Grehan initially broke clear before play was taken on by Paul Cairney and it was left to Simon Donnelly to thrash the ball home for his first goal since the League Cup tie with Annan Athletic in July. With the 90 minutes all but over Thistle sealed their place in the next round. Paddy Boyle crossed from the right and Martin Grehan was able to bundle the ball home.

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