24th Jan 2015 Kilmarnock 2 Partick Thistle 2 (SPFL Premiership - game 22)

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matches:2014-15: ← 31game 3233 →

	Allan Johnston	Alan Archibald	37y, 6m, 11d

		no changes
		no changes

Josh Magennis (1-1, 33 mins); Manuel Pascali (1-2, 79 mins)		Ryan Stevenson (1-0, 2 mins); Freddy Frans (2-2, 84 mins)
Rory McKenzie (1-1, 33 mins); Mark O'Hara (1-2, 79 mins)		James Craigen (1-0, 2 mins); Declan McDaid (2-2, 84 mins)


Lee Ashcroft (Mark O'Hara, 64 mins); Tope Obadeyi (Chris Johnston, 74 mins); Robbie Muirhead (Michael Ngoo, 87 mins)		Ryan Stevenson (Stuart Bannigan, 57 mins); Christie Elliott (Gary Fraser, 63 mins); Steven Lawless (Declan McDaid, 76 mins)

	Craig Samson	Paul Gallacher	35y, 5m, 8d
	Rory McKenzie	Stephen O'Donnell	22y, 8m, 13d
	Sammy Clingan	Christie Elliott	23y, 7m, 29d
	Tope Obadeyi	Dan Seaborne	27y, 10m, 19d
	future Jag Lee Ashcroft	Freddy Frans	26y, 0m, 21d
	future Jag Craig Slater	Abdul Osman	27y, 10m, 28d
	Darryl Westlake	James Craigen	23y, 9m, 27d
	Chris Chantler	Ryan Stevenson	30y, 5m, 0d
	Josh Magennis	Kris Doolan	28y, 1m, 13d
	Manuel Pascali	Steven Lawless	23y, 9m, 12d
	future Jag Robbie Muirhead	Kallum Higginbotham	25y, 7m, 9d

			26y, 10m, 8d

	Conor Brennan	Scott Basalaj	20y, 9m, 5d
	Ross Barbour	Conrad Balatoni	23y, 11m, 28d
	Chris Johnston	Stuart Bannigan	22y, 4m, 7d
	former Jag Paul Cairney	Nathan Eccleston	24y, 0m, 25d
	Michael Ngoo	Gary Fraser	20y, 6m, 22d
	Mark O'Hara	Declan McDaid	19y, 2m, 2d
	future Jag David Syme	Dale Keenan	20y, 6m, 28d

TTA report

A low shot from the edge of the “D“ by Stevenson put Thistle ahead (2). Doolan hit the side netting before Kilmarnock improved. A break down the middle led to a 20-yard leveller (33). They scored from close in (79) but a shot by McDaid from 20 yards was touched in Frans (84) for the draw.

Media report

24-Jan-2015, ptfc.co.uk

After the midweek thumping of Hamilton Accies, confidence was high in the Thistle camp as they headed down to Ayrshire to face Kilmarnock. Revenge was on the Jags’ minds as they looked to avenge their 3-0 defeat earlier in the season on the artificial surface at Rugby Park. Unsurprisingly manager, Alan Archibald, made no changes to the starting eleven from the 5-0 midweek victory, showing faith with the players who had delivered so emphatically. On the bench, Gary Fraser returned from illness while Stuart Bannigan returned from suspension to book his place on the bench, both replacing the injured Sean Welsh and David Wilson respectively.

It was Kilmarnock who kicked the game off, shooting into the large Jags travelling support, but within 70 seconds it was Thistle who opened the scoring. Some great play by Higginbotham wide left saw his scissor kick pass find Craigen who squared the ball to Stevenson at the edge of the box. Stevo cut onto his left foot and fired low past Samson from 20 yards to make it 1-0. A terrific start for Thistle with the goal coming before the clock even clicked onto two minutes. It was the visitors who continued to press forward, pushing the home side back in the opening stages, the Kilmarncok defence struggling to clear a Higginbotham free kick, Ashcroft eventually scrambling the ball clear. In the seventh minute it really should have been two. Higginbotham’s corner found the unmarked Doolan at the back post, but the striker could only head into the side netting when he should have hit the target. Thistle then broke, from a rare Kilmarncok attack, through Stevenson and his cross found Doolan. The four goal hero of Wednesday night couldn’t replicate his midweek magic though and was crowded out by the home defence giving Pascali the chance to clear. Thistle were enjoying lots of possession and closing down well in midfield throughout the opening quarter of the game. Another Stevenson cross was cleared at the back post as Lawless lurked with intent and Craigen saw a 25 yard powerful shot cleared off the six yard line. Gradually the home side came into the game as the half ticked on, and Clingan was not too far away with a spectacular 25 yard dipping volley. A Stevenson header was gathered easily by Samson while, at the other end, Muirhead beat Gallacher to a corner and his header drifted wide. The in demand Stephen O’Donnell, who looked dangerous throughout, then produced a marvellous piece of skill down the right to leave Chantler on his backside. The young full back then fired a great driven cross which Samson could only parry but there was no Jags player alert to pounce on the loose ball. A quick corner then saw Stevenson’s cross find the fresh air swipe from Doolan before Lawless fired over well over. The home side drew level in the 33rd minute. Stevenson lost possession 30 yards from the Kilmarnock goal and Slater drove forward and found McKenzie who in turn passed to Magennis and his 23 yard shot found the bottom corner to make it 1-1.

The home side had the ball in the net again before the break, but it was rightly adjudged offside. Just on half time Muirhead fired a 30 yard effort that went narrowly wide as the teams left the field with the score 1-1 at the break. Thistle started brightly in the second half and O’Donnell cut inside and saw his left foot shot deflected just wide. O’Donnell was again involved with a good Thistle move, he left his man for dead and found Doolan whose lay off was fired over by Stevenson. Craigen who was busy and productive all day then lifted the ball over the bar, under pressure after Doolan couldn’t quite control the ball in the box. Pascali then won a header in the Jags’ box and McKenzie fired inches wide from five yards. Higginbotham saw Samson easily save his curling effort from 25 yards, then Muirhead went down in the box under a challenge, it looked a certain penalty but referee Collum ignored claims. Thistle had another claim for a penalty when Obadeyi’s high boot almost took O’Donnell’s head off, again nothing given. In the 78th minute, Killie took the lead. Having not dealt with cross balls well all day Pascali scored after a header back across goal to make it 2-1 Kilmarnock. All was not lost and, in the 84th minute, Thistle were level. Bannigan’s free kick found Osman under pressure, the ball broke to McDaid who had no hesitation in volleying towards goal. Young Declan’s shot looked to be going wide but Freddy Frans stuck out a foot to divert the ball away from Samson and into the net, his first Jags goal making it 2-2. Higginbotham saw his curling free kick saved in injury time but a draw was a fair result overall and it finished 2-2.

BELGIUM JOINS OUR SCORING CHARTS

● Willie Collum returns from his stint in the referee sin bin and takes charge of his third Thistle game of the season. It's the first of the 3 games in which he hasn't award a penalty against us, and Thistle duly emerge with a point for the first time as a consequence.

● This is Thistle's second competitive match of this season to finish cardless, following on from a similar outcome at Celtic Park in December's League game.

● With only 2 yellows in the last 3 games, Thistle are no longer top of the indiscipline table and have been overtaken by Hamilton, who seem to have lost the plot in 2015.

● Kilmarnock get their first goal from open play in 742 minutes. Their last conventional goal was scored 8 games ago - against Thistle at Firhill!

● Thistle only have 1 clean-sheet in their last 23 games vs Kilmarnock, 1994 to date (all games).

● Thistle last returned back-to-back clean-sheets in August 2013 - 73 games ago (all games).

● Thistle only have 1 win in the last 12 competitive games vs Kilmarnock.

● Thistle are 62 games since back-to-back wins in the Top Flight. By virtue of absenteeism, it's the longest run in this category by time span (almost 11 years), and actually the 3rd longest run by game span. The last such run was over 100 years ago and it's this run which stands as the record, as the Jags went 77 games without back-to-back Top Flight wins, from the 2nd November 1912 to the 5th December 1914. If back-to-back wins are not forthcoming, this record will be equalled on match day 37 and beaten on match day 38.

● In his 6th game for the club, Freddy Frans loses a goal from open play for the first time, but makes up for it by netting at the other end, earning an important point in the process. Centre halves love a goal more!

● Freddy Frans becomes the first Belgian to score for Thistle.

● Belgium becomes the nineteenth country to be represented in the Thistle goal-scoring charts.

● In this season's Premiership, Thistle now have 15 different League goalscorers, a spread which is only bettered by Celtic (17) and Dundee United (16).

● As previously mentioned, another 3 goal scorers in the League would equal the all-time club record spread of 18 which was set in 1999-00. The current outfield players who've appeared in this season's campaign but have yet to score are (with 2014-15 League appearances in brackets): Declan McDaid (10), Dale Keenan (4), Sean Welsh (3), David Wilson [ii] (2) and Liam Lindsay (1).

● Thistle have now played 28 competitive games since registering a back-to-back win, draw or loss, a 29 game sequence which stretches from 3rd May 2014 to date.

● Thistle stay 9th in the Premiership for the 10th match in a row.

ongoing sequences:

● 12 consecutive competitive appearances for Stephen O'Donnell and Ryan Stevenson (a new personal best), 8th Nov 2014 to date. (Longest run since: Abdul Osman - 22 games, 13th Aug 2014 to 27th Dec 2014. 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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