3rd Mar 2012 Partick Thistle 2 Hamilton Academical 0 (SFL First Division - game 25)

matches:2011-12: ← 34game 3536 →

38y, 4m, 8d	Jackie McNamara	Billy Reid

Scott Robertson; Conrad Balatoni; Christie Elliott
Paul Paton; Darren Cole; Kal Naismith

Kris Doolan (1-0, 19 mins); Chris Erskine (2-0, 65 mins)
Stephen O'Donnell; Alan Archibald; Scott Robertson

Kris Doolan (Tommy Stewart, 39 mins); Chris Erskine (Kal Naismith, 85 mins); Paul Cairney (Stuart Bannigan, 89 mins)		Lee Kilday (Grant Anderson, 51 mins); Andy Ryan (Stephen Hendrie, 54 mins); Mark Stewart (Greig Spence, 63 mins)

24y, 8m, 4d	Scott Fox	David Hutton
19y, 9m, 21d	Stephen O'Donnell	Jim McAlister
20y, 10m, 24d	Aaron Taylor-Sinclair	Danny Redmond
24y, 3m, 6d	Scott Robertson	Martin Canning
21y, 1m, 5d	Conrad Balatoni	Lee Kilday
34y, 2m, 19d	Alan Archibald	Mark McLaughlin
24y, 6m, 3d	Paul Cairney	Jon Routledge
35y, 5m, 18d	David Rowson	Mark Stewart former Jag
25y, 2m, 21d	Kris Doolan	Jon McShane
20y, 9m, 6d	Christie Elliott	Alex Neil
25y, 0m, 24d	Chris Erskine	Andy Ryan

25y, 1m, 2d

19y, 4m, 3d	Ryan Scully	Blair Currie
25y, 3m, 20d	Tommy Stewart	Stephen Hendrie future Jag
20y, 0m, 14d	Kal Naismith	Grant Gillespie
19y, 5m, 15d	Stuart Bannigan	Greig Spence
19y, 11m, 8d	Kieran Burns	Grant Anderson

TTA report

Doolan opened the scoring (19) following a bright start by Thistle. They had by far the majority of chances but couldn't extend the lead. Fox saved smartly just after half-time then a run by Erskine from inside his own half ended in a 2nd goal (65). There were a few scary moments towards the end but it was a good win.

Media report

03-Mar-2012, ptfc.co.uk

A frustrated Thistle manager Jackie McNamara made three changes to his side following the disappointment of last week’s defeat at Raith Rovers. Paul Paton began his two game suspension, Darren Cole missed out due to injury while Kal Naismith dropped to the bench. In their place came Conrad Balatoni, Scott Robertson and Christie Elliott.

Thistle made a bright positive opening to this game and their 19th minute goal was a richly deserved one. Doolan had already sent a shot over the bar in the 8th minute while Chris Erskine was looking in the mood and proving to be a real handful to the Hamilton rear guard. It was an Erskine assist that set up Kris Doolan for his 10th goal of the season in the 19th but if truth be told all the hard work was Doolan’s. He controlled the ball, turned to give himself space and, as befitting a striker about to score his 4th goal in three games, he never looked like missing. If there was one complaint surrounding the Thistle first half performance it was that they didn’t add to that Doolan, who went off injured in the 40th minute, goal. It wasn’t for a lack of effort or chances that prevented Thistle from adding to their lead. Kris Doolan touched the ball back into the path of Christie Elliott in the 24th minute and he saw his shot held by Hutton in the Hamilton goal. Three minutes later Aaron Sinclair nearly scored his first ever Thistle goal but his curling effort from the corner of the box went just wide of target. In the 35th minute Thistle were close again to a second goal. Chris Erskine, as he had been in most of the action in the first 45 minutes, was involved in the heart of the move. After Erskine had again left the Hamilton defence in a mess, Paul Cairney saw his shot blocked by a defender with Elliott sending the rebound wide of goal. David Rowson was the next Thistle player to threaten the Hamilton but the midfielder, the scorer of some spectacular goals this season, was on this occasion off target with his effort from 20 yards out. With half-time approaching Thistle nearly snatched a deserved second goal. Christie Elliott turned sharply inside the Hamilton six yard box but couldn’t quite direct his shot into the bottom corner of the net.

The first half hadn’t quite been one way traffic though Hamilton’s raids on the Thistle oal were limited. Danny Redmond shooting wide from a good position in the 42 minute the closest they came to a first half goal. They were close, however, to an equaliser early in the second half. Jon McShane was able to take advantage of a misjudgement from Conrad Balatoni but Scott Fox produced a fine stop to keep the ball out. Thistle though continued to look dangerous themselves. Tommy Stewart rather wasted a promising position while Chris Erskine came close to bringing the house down with a memorable goal only for his final shot, after his run took him past three defenders, was blocked by a defender. An excellent cross to the back post from Stephen O’Donnell in the 55th minute could quite be converted by Aaron Sinclair before, in an increasingly open game, Canning sent a shot just wide at the other end. Hamilton though were starting to enjoy their first period of sustained pressure and in the 62nd minute a corner fell nicely to Mark McLaughlin but his header fell straight into the waiting arms of Scott Fox. Three minutes later though Thistle had the breathing space of a second goal and it was a fantastic goal. Thistle caught Hamilton on the break with Chris Erskine’s run from inside his own half only ending when he knocked the ball past Hutton and into the net. Hamilton did have the ball in the net in the 75th minute but the flag went up for offside. It was, however, a timely reminder to Thistle that the game wasn’t yet won a fact underlined when Greig Spence hooked a good chance wide of goal following a corner on the right. That was the last that Hamilton truly threatened and Thistle kept a clean sheet in what was an excellent all round performance and one that takes Thistle back to fourth in the league.

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