24th Sep 2011 Livingston 2 Partick Thistle 1 (SFL First Division - game 7)

matches:2011-12: ← 13game 1415 →

	Gary Bollan	Jackie McNamara	37y, 11m, 0d

		Conrad Balatoni
		Scott Robertson

Kenny Deuchar (0-1, 28 mins); Kyle Jacobs (1-2, 90 mins)		Christie Elliott (1-1, 50 mins)
		Alan Archibald; Kyle Hutton

Jonathan Brown (Michael Travis, 67 mins); Kenny Deuchar (Marc McNulty, 72 mins)		Chris Erskine (Stephen O'Donnell, 76 mins); Kris Doolan (Tommy Stewart, 84 mins)

	Andy McNeil	Scott Fox	24y, 2m, 27d
	Kyle Jacobs	Paul Paton	24y, 5m, 6d
	Jason Talbot	Aaron Taylor-Sinclair	20y, 5m, 16d
	Jonathan Brown	Kyle Hutton	20y, 7m, 19d
	Craig Barr	Conrad Balatoni	20y, 7m, 28d
	future Jag Ross Docherty	Alan Archibald	33y, 9m, 11d
	Liam Fox	Paul Cairney	24y, 0m, 26d
	Stefan Scougall	David Rowson	35y, 0m, 10d
	Kenny Deuchar	Kris Doolan	24y, 9m, 13d
	Iain Russell	Christie Elliott	20y, 3m, 29d
	Bobby Barr	Chris Erskine	24y, 7m, 16d

			24y, 9m, 26d

	Darren Jamieson	Ryan Scully	18y, 10m, 26d
	Michael Travis	Tommy Stewart	24y, 10m, 12d
	Marc McNulty	Stephen O'Donnell	19y, 4m, 13d
	future Jag Rory Boulding	Johnny Lindsay	18y, 11m, 8d
	Ross Gray	Iain Flannigan	23y, 8m, 9d

TTA report

An excellent goal in added time robbed Thistle of a deserved point. They had the better start and had several good chances. Livingston hadn't been much of a threat but they took the lead (28). Elliot scored a richly deserved equaliser, drilling in a cut-back (50). Several late missed chances proved costly.

Media report

24-Sep-2011, ptfc.co.uk

Not for the first time this season Thistle fell victim to a last minute goal, losing 2-1 to Livingston in a game that they deserved a point from at the very least. Thistle received a pre-match boost with Club captain, a pre-match injury doubt, declared fit enough to take up his usual berth in the centre of the Thistle defence. That meant that Jackie McNamara’s starting eleven showed just one change from the side that started against Ayr United. Conrad Balatoni, who played the majority of that game in any case, replacing the injured Scott Robertson.

It was the home side that were the first to settle in the game and Scott Fox was called into action as early as the 2nd minute as he was forced to claw a Kenny Deuchar header round his left hand post for a corner kick. Gradually though Thistle got into their stride and once they did so they began to take control of proceedings. In the 12th minute they had their first, but by no means last, chance of the first half. Aaron Sinclair was again posing the opposition problems down the left hand side and his cross was met by Kris Doolan whose first time shot was agonisingly close to finding the back of the Livingston net. Four minutes later Doolan was again heavily involved as Thistle once more came close to opening the scoring. Doolan showed good control inside the box before laying the ball back into the path of Christie Elliott whose apparently net bound shot was blocked by a Livingston defender. The home side, with the exception of a long range free kick from Liam Fox that fizzed just over the Thistle bar, hadn’t offered much up front although the aerial threat of Kenny Deuchar remained a very real one and it was that man, no strange to scoring goals against Thistle, that opened the scoring in the 28th minute. Deuchar was able to climb the highest to reach a cross from the left hand side and his header found the corner of the net. The game was close to once again being level in the 38th minute. Paul Cairney nodded Kyle Hutton’s pass into the path of David Rowson whose shot was blocked by McNeil. A minute later the Livingston keeper again denied Rowson a goal, this time diving to his left to hold a shot that had looked destined for the corner of the net. Thistle’s continued to press and in the 40th minute Kris Doolan was just an inch or so away from connecting with a magnificent ball in from the left from Aaron Sinclair and the half ended with Kyle Hutton shooting just about a foot wide of goal after Paul Cairney had touched a free kick into his path.

After being desperately unlucky to have gone in at the break a goal down, Thistle were back on level terms in the 51st minute. Thistle have forced three early corners and although the third was partially cleared Conrad Balatoni’s cut back was cleared only as far as Christie Elliott who without hesitation drilled the ball into the back of the net. Having worked hard to get back level, Thistle nearly handed Livingston the lead back on a plate. Conrad Balatoni was short with a header back to Scott Fox allowing Russell to nip in and collect the ball. Russell was able to take the ball round Fox but once he did so he found the angle too night and couldn’t squeeze the ball into the net, instead finding the side netting. Livingston had been enjoying a good spell of pressure when, in the 72nd minute, Thistle were prevented from taking the lead only by an excellent save from the impressive Livi keeper Andy McNeil. Christie Elliott’s flicked pass to Paul Cairney left him with just McNeil to score but was denied a goal for a third game in a row by a fine save from McNeil. As the game entered its’ final ten minutes both sides were displaying a real positive approach in searching of a winning goal and in the 82nd minute Thistle nearly had the lead for the first time. Paul paton touched the ball to Stephen O’Donnell, operating on the right hand side of midfield, and his curling left foot shot came close to finding the top let hand corner of the Livi net. At the other end Livi sub McNulty was able to flick the ball goalwards but Scott Fox was down quickly to save at his left hand post. Thistle too had Conrad Balatoni to thank for making an important clearance as Livingston broke with pace and numbers. Livingston though would snatch a last minute winner that was harsh in the extreme on Thistle. Bobby Barr’s run and cross produced an unholy scramble inside the Thistle box but the ball was cleared. Only as far though as Kyle Jacobs who netted with a spectacular effort from the corner of the box.

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