21st Dec 2013 Kilmarnock 2 Partick Thistle 1 (SPFL Premiership - game 16)

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matches:2013-14: ← 25game 2627 →

	Allan Johnston	Alan Archibald	36y, 5m, 8d

		Conrad Balatoni; Stuart Bannigan
		Aaron Muirhead; Isaac Osbourne

Chris Johnston (0-1, 41 mins); Kris Boyd (1-2, 70 mins)		Kris Doolan (1-1, 49 mins)
none (0-1, 41 mins); Jackson Irvine (1-2, 70 mins)		Aaron Taylor-Sinclair (1-1, 49 mins)
		Conrad Balatoni; James Craigen

Barry Nicholson (Michael Gardyne, 59 mins); Chris Johnston (Jude Winchester, 89 mins)		Steven Lawless (John Baird, 74 mins); Christie Elliott (Stephen O'Donnell, 80 mins); Kallum Higginbotham (Ross Forbes, 82 mins)

	Craig Samson	Scott Fox	26y, 5m, 23d
	Jeroen Tesselaar	Jordan McMillan	25y, 2m, 5d
	Jackson Irvine	Aaron Taylor-Sinclair	22y, 8m, 13d
	Barry Nicholson	Conrad Balatoni	22y, 10m, 24d
	Kris Boyd	Gabriel Piccolo	24y, 2m, 6d
	Chris Johnston	Stuart Bannigan	21y, 3m, 4d
	Sean Clohessy	Steven Lawless	22y, 8m, 9d
	Rory McKenzie	James Craigen	22y, 8m, 23d
	future Jag Craig Slater	Kris Doolan	27y, 0m, 10d
	Manuel Pascali	Christie Elliott	22y, 6m, 25d
	future Jag Lee Ashcroft	Kallum Higginbotham	24y, 6m, 6d

			23y, 10m, 3d

	Antonio Reguero	Paul Gallacher	34y, 4m, 5d
	Sammy Clingan	Aaron Muirhead	23y, 3m, 21d
	Ibrahim Rabiu	Ross Forbes	24y, 9m, 18d
	Jude Winchester	John Baird	28y, 3m, 29d
	Rory McKeown	Mark Kerr	31y, 9m, 19d
	Michael Gardyne	Stephen O'Donnell	21y, 7m, 10d
	future Jag Robbie Muirhead	David Wilson [ii]	19y, 3m, 15d

TTA report

Kilmarnock scarcely deserved their half-time lead. Doolan calmly slotted home (49) then Lawless shot over from close in. The winner came from a deflected shot (70). A delightful move saw Higginbotham shoot at the keeper. Forbes went close with a free-kick then a double save denied Thistle a deserved point.

Media report

21-Dec-2013, ptfc.co.uk

Thistle will head into the Boxing Day match against Inverness seeking their first win since their last trip to the capital of the Highlands. Goals from Chris Johnston and Kris Boyd sandwiched an excellent equalizer from Kris Doolan at the start of the second half as Kilmarnock took all three points and moved above Thistle in the league. Alan Archibald made a couple of changes from the St Johnstone game – Conrad Balatoni and Stevie Lawless coming in for Aaron Muirhead and Isaac Osbourne.

There was a low-key start to the game and there was almost ten minutes on the clock before the first effort on goal, a long range effort from Stevie Lawless that was comfortably saved by Craig Samson. Kilmarnock, seeking out Kris Boyd at every opportunity, created a chance for McKenzie, but he shot wide of Scott Fox’s right hand post. Shortly afterwards, Boyd’s dummy fooled Gabriel Piccolo and a one-two set up a great scoring chance that Fox blocked with his legs. Thistle enjoyed more of the possession later in the second half, winning the ball back in dangerous areas with Doolan, Lawless and Elliott working to quickly close down the home defence. Stevie Lawless had Thistle’s best chance of the half - driving at the Kilmarnock defence, he beat the last defender, but after getting into the box, sliced his shot agonisingly wide of goal. Thistle paid heavily for that miss just minutes later. Gabriel Piccolo’s slack ball from defence left Kilmarnock with plenty of space, but Balatoni was able to block for a corner. Fox punched the corner clear, but when the ball was played back into the box, the ball dropped for Chris Johnston to drive the ball home from 12 yards. There was time for one more Thistle chance, Kris Doolan beating Craig Samson to a back-pass on the goal-line at the corner of the box. Just keeping the ball in play he was able to turn and set up Kallum Higginbotham who saw his effort palmed away by Samson, with the ball falling just out of reach of two Thistle players.

Whilst the rain started falling heavier during half-time, Thistle started the second half brightly, upping the tempo and playing higher up the park as they shot towards the 800-strong Thistle support. It took only three minutes to find an equalizer that was as simple as it was excellent. Aaron Taylor-Sinclair’s long throw into the box was dummied by Christie Elliott and with one turn Kris Doolan got away from his marker. With all that space, Doolan had plenty of time to take a touch and then send Samson the wrong way with his finish. Thistle grew in confidence from the goal, and enjoyed a good spell of pressure, although chances were at a premium the hour mark. Christie Elliott’s driven shot was palmed away by Samson and then headed behind for a corner. After fine play from Higginbotham down the left, the ball eventually fell to Stevie Lawless eight yards out, but he could only stab the ball over the bar. Kilmarnock started coming back into the game, shortly after replacing Barry Nicholson with Michael Gardyne. Fox was in the right place to save an Ashcroft header from a corner, then he blocked Gardyne’s firmly-hit drive. From another counter-attack, Balatoni appeared to win the ball before any contact with McKenzie, but a free-kick was given and the Thistle defender booked. The resulting set-play was cleared initially but Irvine’s strike was touched into the corner of the Thistle goal by Kris Boyd to give the home side the lead once more. There were a couple of opportunities for a second equalizer. A superb move down the left opened up the Kilmarnock defence and it took a block from Samson to deny Higginbotham from eight yards out. Samson followed that with a fine double-save from a Ross Forbes free kick that was heading for the top corner, then from Baird’s follow-up effort. Despite camping in the Kilmarnock half for the last few minutes, Thistle were unable to find that all important goal that they probably deserved – man-of-the-match Samson saving Baird’s effort in the final action of the game.

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