5th May 2012 Hamilton Academical 2 Partick Thistle 2 (SFL First Division - game 36)

matches:2011-12: ← 45game 4601 →

Match Information

			Billy Reid		Jackie McNamara			38y, 6m, 11d
					Paul Paton; Kris Doolan
					Paul Cairney; Bradley Halsman
Danny Redmond (0-1, 25 mins); Jon McShane (0-2, 30 mins)					Stuart Bannigan (1-2, 37 mins); Sean Welsh (2-2, 43 mins)
Simon Mensing; Jon Routledge					Conrad Balatoni
Mark McLaughlin (@ 2-2, 77 mins)
Louis Longridge (Andy Ryan, 62 mins); Jordan Kirkpatrick (Graeme MacGregor, 67 mins); Danny Redmond (Greig Spence, 72 mins)					Stephen O'Donnell (David Rowson, 74 mins); Conrad Balatoni (Kieran Burns, 82 mins)
			Blair Currie		Scott Fox			24y, 10m, 7d
			Jim McAlister		Stephen O'Donnell			19y, 11m, 24d
			Lee Kilday		Stuart Bannigan			19y, 7m, 18d
			Grant Gillespie		Scott Robertson			24y, 5m, 9d
			Simon Mensing		Conrad Balatoni			21y, 3m, 8d
			Mark McLaughlin		Alan Archibald			34y, 4m, 22d
			Jon Routledge		Sean Welsh			22y, 1m, 20d
			Danny Redmond		Paul Paton			25y, 0m, 17d
			Jon McShane		Kris Doolan			25y, 4m, 24d
			Jordan Kirkpatrick		Mark McGuigan			23y, 5m, 28d
			Louis Longridge		Chris Erskine			25y, 2m, 27d
								24y, 2m, 2d
			Chris Shaw		Ryan Scully			19y, 6m, 6d
			Andy Ryan		Tommy Stewart			25y, 5m, 23d
			future Jag Ziggy Gordon		David Rowson			35y, 7m, 21d
			Graeme MacGregor		Gavin Griffin			18y, 7m, 18d
			Greig Spence		Kieran Burns			20y, 1m, 11d

Match Report

TTA report

A surprisingly entertaining game. After dominating, Thistle went 2-down in quick succession (25 and 30) but Bannigan made it 2-1 (37). The fight-back was complete when a bullet header from Welsh just on half-time made it 2-2. Hamilton were reduced to 10 men (77) but Thistle had to settle for a point as Accies hung on.

Media report

05-May-2012, ptfc.co.uk

Thistle were unable to finish the season with what would have been a deserved three points. As a result that the point gained in an entertaining 2-2 draw saw Thistle finish the season with the same points tally as last season, but one place lower in the league. Such is the tight nature of the First Division, victory would have seen Thistle finish in 4th position.

It took this game a little time to warm up but once it did it provided excellent entertainment for the crowd of just under 2,000. The game could have taken an early turn in Thistle’s direction in the 14th minute when only an outstretched arm from Simon Mensing halted a promising run from Chris Erskine. The Accies defender may have been a tad fortunate not to receive a punishment stronger than a yellow card, and again courted a sending off when he squared up to Erskine just minutes later after the Thistle player had taken a tumble inside the Hamilton penalty box. On an excellent playing surface, Thistle were playing some pleasing on the eye football and in the 16th minute Blair Currie did well to save, and hold, a well struck Paul Paton shot after a sharp, incisive passing move from Thistle had created the opportunity at the edge of the box. With Thistle in almost total dominance it was a major surprise when Hamilton took a 25th minute lead with their first noteworthy effort on goal. Paul Paton’s clumsy challenge outside his own penalty box gave Hamilton a free kick and Redmond’s effort was inadvertently diverted past Scott Fox by Conrad Balatoni and into the net. If Thistle scarcely deserved to be a goal behind at this point they certainly didn’t deserve to find themselves two behind five minutes later. The home side were able to take full advantage of a mix up in the Thistle midfield and when Jon McShane was left with just Scott Fox to beat he made no mistake with a confident finish. It took Thistle just six minutes to find a response. Sean Welsh had already come close with a header from a Stephen O’Donnell cross and it was Welsh, spotting Stuart Bannigan to his left, that provided the assist for the goal. Just as McShane had done minutes earlier, when left with just the keeper to beat Bannigan confidently slid the ball past him and into the net. Bannigan was impressing greatly in his left wing back role and twice as half-time neared he sent over excellent crosses from the left hand side. The second of which was met by the head of Chris Erskine who must have thought his downward header was going to find the corner of the net. It would too, had Currie in the Hamilton goal not made a quite outstanding save. That save though merely delayed the Thistle equaliser by a matter of less than a minute. From Paul Paton’s corner that followed, Sean Welsh climbed above the home defence to bullet a header into the back of the net. That marked the end of the scoring but not the entertainment. A minute after the restart Jordan Kirkpatrick missed a gilt edged chance for Hamilton when he lifted the ball over the bar when he had looked set to score. At the other end Kris Doolan and Mark McGuigan combined well inside the box, with the latter sending his shot just wide of goal. McGuigan was again out of luck just a few minutes later with a header from an O’Donnell cross that slipped wide of Currie’s left hand post.

The second half was a much more even affair and in the 54th minute Mensing forced Scott Fox into a fine full length save. The clearer opportunities though continued to come Thistle’s way. Just past the hour mark Chris Erskine was about a foot too high with a shot from the left corner of the Hamilton box and Stuart Bannigan clipped the bar with a similar effort from a near identical position. With 20 minutes remaining Thistle wasted an excellent chance to take the lead for the first time. Chris Erskine found Kris Doolan with a pass. Doolan, when left with only Currie to beat, showed uncharacteristic hesitation and found himself crowded out and unable to find the room for a shot. With 13 minutes of the game remaining Hamilton found themselves reduced to ten men. Sean Welsh was fouled by Mark McLaughlin as he tried to escape the attentions of the Hamilton defender at the edge of the box with the referee deeming McLaughlin’s intervention as denying a goal scoring opportunity and duly issued him with a red card. Thistle nearly nudged themselves in front from the free kick that followed. Paul Paton sent the ball over and Stuart Bannigan’s header dropped just the wrong side of the bar. Thistle pushed hard in the search of a winner in the time that remained but despite winning a number of corners were unable to find a third goal.

Scrapbook

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BBC, 5th May, 2012

Video Highlights

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Stats Watch

● The closing game of the 137th season of Partick Thistle F.C.

● Stuart Bannigan scores his first goal for Thistle.

● 20-year-old Kieran Burns plays his last game for Thistle.

● 24-year-old Scott Robertson plays his last game for Thistle.

ongoing sequences:

● 36 consecutive competitive appearances for Chris Erskine, 27th Aug 2011 to date. (Longest run since: Paul Cairney - 40 games, 30th Jul 2011 to 28th Apr 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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