7th Apr 2012 Ayr United 1 Partick Thistle 3 (SFL First Division - game 31)

matches:2011-12: ← 40game 4142 →

Match Information

			Brian Reid		Jackie McNamara			38y, 5m, 14d
					Scott Fox; Stuart Bannigan
					Ryan Scully; David Rowson
Adam Dodd (2-1, 78 mins)					Chris Erskine (1-0, 26 mins); Kris Doolan (2-0, 32 mins); Mark McGuigan (3-1, 90 mins)
Chris Smith; Liam Tomsett					Paul Paton; Mark McGuigan
Adam Dodd (@ 2-1, 85 mins)
Alan Trouten (Adam Dodd, 54 mins); Michael Moffat (Keigan Parker, 54 mins); Mark Roberts (Gareth Wardlaw, 69 mins)					Chris Erskine (Mark McGuigan, 73 mins)
			Kevin Cuthbert		Scott Fox			24y, 9m, 10d
			Jonathan Tiffoney		Stephen O'Donnell			19y, 10m, 27d
			Eddie Malone		Aaron Taylor-Sinclair			20y, 11m, 30d
			former Jag John A. Robertson		Paul Paton			24y, 11m, 20d
			Chris Smith		Scott Robertson			24y, 4m, 12d
			future Jag Andy Geggan		Alan Archibald			34y, 3m, 25d
			Michael McGowan		Paul Cairney			24y, 7m, 9d
			Liam Tomsett		Stuart Bannigan			19y, 6m, 21d
			Michael Moffat		Kris Doolan			25y, 3m, 27d
			former Jag Mark Roberts		Sean Welsh			22y, 0m, 23d
			Alan Trouten		Chris Erskine			25y, 1m, 30d
								24y, 2m, 7d
			Martyn Campbell		Ryan Scully			19y, 5m, 9d
			Keigan Parker		Christie Elliott			20y, 10m, 12d
			Adam Dodd		Mark McGuigan			23y, 5m, 0d
			Gareth Wardlaw		Conrad Balatoni			21y, 2m, 11d
			Ryan McWilliams		Caolan McAleer			18y, 7m, 19d

Match Report

TTA report

A 2-0 lead at half-time should have been more as Thistle dominated the first half, Erskine (26) and Cairney (32) having scored. Ayr pulled one back (78) but on 85 the scorer lashed out at O'Donnell and was sent off. McGuigan scored in added time and jumped over the boundary wall into the crowd behind the goal.

Media report

07-Apr-2012, ptfc.co.uk

After previously struggling on their travels this season, Thistle this afternoon made it a third away game in a row unbeaten with an, ultimately, deserved 3-1 win over Ayr United although they were under pressure from a spirited home side during the second half. Manager Jackie McNamara made a couple of changes to his side that we beaten at home by Livingston. After missing the last three games Scott Fox was restored in goal while Stuart Bannigan, who had an excellent 90 minutes, stepped into the slot vacated by the injured David Rowson.

Thistle were in almost total control of the first half, only as the half-time whistle neared were the home side able to put the Thistle defence under any serious pressure. Indeed there was a feeling that Thistle’s half-time lead really should have been greater than just 2-0. It took Thistle until the 26th minute to open the scoring but the goal had been coming for some time prior to that point. Thistle had first threatened a goal as early as the 9th minute. Paul Cairney picked out Stephen O’Donnell’s run down the right and O’Donnell’s cross struck the face of the Ayr crossbar. In Thistle’s next attack Sean Welsh was able to test Cuthbert in the Ayr goal with a well struck shot before in the 13th minute Aaron Sinclair connected with a Chris Erskine corner but saw his glancing header go wide of goal. Only some excellent last ditch defending from Ayr prevented Paul Cairney giving Thistle the lead in the 18th minute after being set up by Chris Erskine who was causing havoc in the home defence. Two minutes later the same Erskine/Sinclair combination at a corner that nearly produced the opening goal in the 13th minute again nearly led to an opening goal. This time Sinclair’s header clearing the bar. By the time the first half reached its’ halfway point it was a mystery how Thistle hadn’t yet managed to establish a richly deserved lead. In their most recent assault on the Ayr goal a deflected Chris Erskine shot was half saved by Cuthbert with the Ayr keeper also preventing Kris Doolan from finding the net as the bounced loose. The opening goal that Thistle merited finally arrived in the 26th minute and it was excellent strike. Chris Erskine’s run took him through the heart of the Ayr defence and after exchanging passes with Paul Cairney slotted the ball into the back of the net. Six minutes later Thistle had a second goal and Chris Erskine was again at the heart of it. Once again the Ayr defence were unable to halt Erskine’s run deep into their penalty box and although a defender was able to clear Erskine’s effort off the line the ball struck the post, broke to Paul Cairney who set up Kris Doolan for an easy finish.

Thoughts at the interval turned to the prospect of a repeat of the 5-0 demolition of Queen of the South but Ayr proved to be a much tougher proposition altogether after the break but not before Thistle had come close to a third goal just five minutes after the restart. Sean Welsh’s cross picked out Aaron Sinclair who was denied a goal for the second week in a row by a fine block by Kevin Cuthbert. Ayr though were finally making the Thistle defence work. Michael McGowan tested Scott Fox at his near post with a fiercely driven free kick from the corner of the box and former Jag John Robertson twice came close with headers from McGowan corners. Hearts were in Thistle mouths in the 70th minute when McGowan went to ground inside the Thistle box after an apparent barge from Stuart Bannigan but referee Madden signalled a goal kick although there were more than a few people inside Somerset Park that though he had pointed towards the penalty spot. Ayr though were able to halve the deficit in the 78th minute and it would be hard to argue that it wasn’t a deserved goal. A long throw was flicked on and substitute Adam Dodd was able to turn and shoot low into the back of the net. Seven minutes after having provided his side with a lifeline, Dodd all but condemned his side to defeat when he was sent off after lashing out at Stephen O’Donnell. Thistle still have five minutes, plus injury time, to safely negotiate before securing the three points but the pressure was visibly reduced by Dodds’ red card. Indeed it looked more likely that Thistle would pick off a third goal as the game neared the conclusion. Substitute Mark McGuigan and Kris Doolan both saw efforts saved by Cuthbert before McGuigan, in only his second appearance for the club, grabbed a third Thistle goal with the game deep in injury time. Mark, until recently a University student, stabbed the ball home from close range before involving the Thistle fans in his celebrations. It was doubtful that Mark was too bothered by the yellow card that followed.

Scrapbook

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BBC, 7th April, 2012

Video Highlights

(credits: Camallain / Partick Thistle Television )

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Stats Watch

● Mark McGuigan scores his first goal for Thistle.

ongoing sequences:

● 36 consecutive competitive appearances for Paul Cairney, 30th Jul 2011 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Kris Doolan - 49 games, 12th Feb 2011 to 3rd Mar 2012. Club-record: Johnny Jackson - 313 games, 28th Aug 1926 to 25th Mar 1933.)

Stats Watch adheres to our stated definitions of League, League Max, Major Competitive, Competitive or All Games. Where there is no written qualification, you should presume that the Stat in question is compiled from the All Games criteria.

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