3rd Dec 2011 Partick Thistle 2 Livingston 1 (SFL First Division - game 15)

matches:2011-12: ← 23game 2425 →

38y, 1m, 9d	Jackie McNamara	Gary Bollan

David Rowson; Craig Dargo
Tommy Stewart; Chris Erskine

Conrad Balatoni (1-0, 26 mins); Kenny Deuchar (2-0, og 33 mins)		Kenny Deuchar (2-1, 45 mins)
		Paul Watson; Marc McNulty

Craig Dargo (Chris Erskine, 81 mins); Christie Elliott (Kris Doolan, 89 mins)		Kenny Deuchar (Iain Russell, 76 mins)

24y, 5m, 5d	Scott Fox	Andy McNeil
24y, 7m, 15d	Paul Paton	Callum MacDonald
20y, 7m, 25d	Aaron Taylor-Sinclair	Kyle Jacobs
20y, 9m, 28d	Kyle Hutton	Mark Fotheringham
20y, 10m, 6d	Conrad Balatoni	Craig Barr
33y, 11m, 20d	Alan Archibald	Paul Watson
24y, 3m, 4d	Paul Cairney	Liam Fox
35y, 2m, 19d	David Rowson	Keaghan Jacobs
33y, 11m, 0d	Craig Dargo	Kenny Deuchar
20y, 6m, 7d	Christie Elliott	Marc McNulty
19y, 6m, 22d	Stephen O'Donnell	Bobby Barr

25y, 4m, 6d

19y, 1m, 4d	Ryan Scully	Darren Jamieson
25y, 0m, 21d	Tommy Stewart	Iain Russell
24y, 11m, 22d	Kris Doolan	David Sinclair
24y, 9m, 25d	Chris Erskine	Callum Fordyce
19y, 2m, 16d	Stuart Bannigan	Andy Russell

TTA report

Balatoni scored from a Cairney cross (26) and it was 2-0 from a corner when the ball was caught up in the wind and the good Dr Deuchar headed in a spectacular OG (33). Dargo came close to making it 3 but Livingston scored just on half-time. Thistle were seldom under pressure despite the narrow lead. A comfortable win.

Media report

03-Dec-2011, ptfc.co.uk

An excellent Thistle performance produced a richly deserved 2-1 victory that took Thistle above Livingston in the league and into the 4th position. Thistle went into this game with a number of players doubtful with either illness or injury but the manager’s team selection showed of all those players only Scott Robertson didn’t make it. There was a first start for Craig Dargo as Jackie McNamara made two changes to the side that had drawn 0-0 with Ayr United midweek. The now fit David Rowson, who missed the Ayr game, came back into the side as Tommy Stewart and Chris Erskine, starters against Ayr, dropped to the bench for this fixture.

Thistle made a positive start to the game and first threatened the Livingston goal in the 9th minute when David Rowson fired into the side netting. Kyle Hutton, playing the last Firhill game of his loan spell, was next to come close with a deflected shot that went just over the bar. From the corner that followed Craig Dargo was able to connect with Paul Cairney’s near post cross and he was denied a goal by a fine stop by McNeil in the Livi goal. There was a moment of anxiety for Thistle in the 25th minute when Marc McNulty went down inside the Thistle box protesting vehemently that he had his ankle clipped by Conrad Balatoni. Referee Muir, however, was uninterested and waved play on. That anxious moment aside, it was Thistle that were dominating the game and in the 26th minute Thistle were close again to taking the lead when a Stephen O’Donnell shot was deflected and spun just over the Livingston crossbar. A Thistle goal though was just delayed a further minute. Paul Cairney has been in fine scoring form of late but this time he was the creator, crossing for Conrad Balatoni to find the net. Thistle were close to pressing home that advantage a short time later but Christie Elliott couldn’t quite squeeze the ball past Andy McNeil after good play from the impressive Craig Dargo. The second Thistle goal that arrived in the 34th minute was a deserved one but there was a touch of good fortune to it all the same. Aaron Sinclair’s corner being headed into his own net by Kenny Deuchar. With half-time five minutes away Craig Dargo was close to marking his first start in a Thistle jersey with a goal, his chipped effort from the edge of the box clearing the bar by no more than a foot with McNeil looking beaten. There was to be a sting in the tail at the end of the half for Thistle. The Thistle defence were unable to effectively deal with a free kick deep into the Thistle box with Deuchar the first to reach the loose ball and fire into the net to bring Livingston right back into the game.

The two goal advantage was nearly restored, however, right at the start of the second half with Paul Cairney shooting just wide of goal. Paul Cairney was at the centre of a lot of promising things for Thistle and in the 59th minute he side stepped a couple of Livingston defenders before sending a shot wide of McNeil’s right hand post. Thistle were much more willing to shoot or goal in this game than they had been at Ayr midweek and Kyle Hutton’s effort from 25 yards out wasn’t too far over the bar. Although Deuchar’s goal just before half-time had hauled Livi right back into the game they hadn’t been seen much as an attacking force in the opening period of the second half but Scott Fox still had to look lively to keep out a low McNulty effort in the 66th minute. It was Thistle that continued to do the bulk of the pressing in search of the third goal that would all but seal the points and Paul Paton, pushing forward from his holding role in midfield, saw a well struck shot deflected away from goal. Although Thistle didn't manage a third goal this was still a well deserved victory.

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