4th Apr 2015 Aberdeen 0 Partick Thistle 0 (SPFL Premiership - game 31)

matches:2014-15: ← 41game 4243 →

Match Information

			Derek McInnes		Alan Archibald			37y, 8m, 22d
					no changes
					no changes
Shaleum Logan					Stuart Bannigan
Lawrence Shankland (Peter Pawlett, 55 mins); Willo Flood (Niall McGinn, 55 mins); Kenny McLean (Cammy Smith, 81 mins)					Kris Doolan (Lyle Taylor, 32 mins); Steven Lawless (Kallum Higginbotham, 77 mins)
			former Jag Jamie Langfield		Scott Fox			27y, 9m, 7d
			Shay Logan		Stephen O'Donnell			22y, 10m, 24d
			Andrew Considine		Callum Booth			23y, 10m, 5d
			Ash Taylor		Conrad Balatoni			24y, 2m, 8d
			Mark Reynolds		Freddy Frans			26y, 3m, 1d
			Kenny McLean		Abdul Osman			28y, 1m, 8d
			Willo Flood		Stuart Bannigan			22y, 6m, 18d
			Adam Rooney		James Craigen			24y, 0m, 7d
			Jonny Hayes		Kris Doolan			28y, 3m, 24d
			Ryan Jack		Steven Lawless			23y, 11m, 23d
			Lawrence Shankland		Ryan Stevenson			30y, 7m, 11d
								25y, 8m, 5d
			Scott Brown		Paul Gallacher			35y, 7m, 19d
			Niall McGinn		Ben Richards-Everton			22y, 5m, 18d
			future Jag Cammy Smith		Kallum Higginbotham			25y, 9m, 20d
			Barry Robson		Gary Fraser			20y, 9m, 2d
			Peter Pawlett		David Wilson [ii]			20y, 6m, 29d
			David Goodwillie		Lyle Taylor			25y, 0m, 6d
			Donervon Daniels		Dale Keenan			20y, 9m, 8d

Match Report

TTA report

Aberdeen started the better and shot over (5). Thistle settled and Taylor (just on as a sub for Doolan, 32) was through twice on the keeper (one touched away, the other lobbed wide). Craigen's shot was tipped over (46). In the second half Aberdeen had most of the play but Thistle defended well and deserved their point.

Media report

04-Apr-2015, bbc.com

Aberdeen moved to within seven points of Premiership leaders Celtic but a goalless draw with Partick Thistle all but ended the Dons' title hopes. Lawrence Shankland had two early chances for the hosts but was too high with both. Thistle's first-half substitute Lyle Taylor then missed two chances when clean through on goal. Chances were at a premium after the break and Thistle created the better openings without managing to score. It's a measure of how far the Dons have come under the stewardship of Derek McInnes that they remain unbeaten since October against teams other than the league leaders. However, had Taylor shown more composure in front of goal then that record would have gone as the visitors created the better chances. The Firhill club have now lost just one of their last five league matches ahead of their midweek meeting with Celtic.

Aberdeen handed Shankland a first starting appearance and the teenage striker quickly set about justifying the decision. Shankland, who has scored 26 goals for the development side this season and claimed a double on his Scotland Under-21 debut against Hungary, was just inches away with a shot over the bar following Jonny Hayes' delivery. The young striker also headed a Ryan Jack cross just over the top but those were rare moments of anxiety for the visitors in the opening period. Alan Archibald's side quickly came to terms with their opponents and counter-attacked to good effect with Steven Lawless sending a hitch-kick volley narrowly wide.

The Thistle manager was forced into an early alteration as lone striker Kris Doolan picked up a hamstring injury and Taylor came on. The tall frontman's physicality caused the Dons defence problems but he could not make the most of that strength after creating two golden chances. Within a minute of coming on he ran away from Aberdeen defender Ash Taylor but Jamie Langfield raced from his goal to block. Then, striker Taylor was left one-on-one with Langfield again only to dink the ball over the goalkeeper and just wide. The real surprise was that the Dons continued to be slack in possession and vulnerable at the back against a hard-working Thistle side who never let them settle into their normally fluent style. In fact, it was the visitors who went closest to scoring in a frantic second half when James Craigen broke clear. The midfielder's shot from the edge of the area was tipped over the bar by Langfield.

Gallery

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Video Highlights

(credit: SPFL YouTube )

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Stats Watch

THREE-IN-A-ROW

● For the first time in his 2-year managerial career, Archie fields the same starting eleven for 3 competitive games in a row.

● It's the first time Archie has fielded the same starting eleven 3-in-a-row in the League since August 2014. Thistle are unbeaten over the course of these six Premiership games in question. Seven players have started in all six of the games: Scott Fox, Stephen O'Donnell, Conrad Balatoni, Stuart Bannigan, Kris Doolan, James Craigen and Steven Lawless.

● Despite just stepping off the plane from a round-the-world flight just 48 hours earlier, Lyle maintains his proud record of appearing in every Thistle game in his 2 spells, now sitting at 29-in-a-row.

● Scott Fox becomes the first Thistle goalie to return 3 consecutive clean-sheets in the top-flight since Alan Rough, early in 1982. Roughie's run of 4 included: Morton [a] D0-0, Aberdeen [h] D0-0, St Mirren [h] D0-0 and Rangers [h] W2-0. That run was broken with a 2-2 draw at… Celtic Park! (Aw naw!) George Niven holds the all-time club-record for League games, having returned 5-in-a-row back in 1968.

● Across Britain's 10 main senior Leagues, only Partick Thistle and Shrewsbury Town are sitting on 3-in-a-row clean-sheets.

● Scott Fox is the current squad leader when it comes to collecting League points-per-game (of those who have played 5+ games this season). His tally of 1.47 pts per game is way ahead of the team's average of 1.13.

● Freddy is the clear squad leader when it comes to clean-sheets (of those who have played 5+ games this season). He has an astonishing 50% record, the result of 8 clean-sheets in 16 competitive games.

● If this season's amazing ratio of conceding just 1.16 goals per top-flight game is maintained, it would register as Thistle's tightest top-flight defensive record since 1978-79 and our 7th best of all-time at this level.

● Thistle have failed to score in 60% of this season's away League games. It's the worst such percentage record in Scotland, and third worst across the 10 main senior Leagues in Britain. Only the travelling fans of Aston Villa and Ballinamallard United (both 62%) have been goal-starved more often.

● With 2 games to go until the split, Thistle are now mathematically unable to finish in the top six. Confirming this position at match day 31 equals the first and now joint-best attempt, which was made by John Lambie's Jags in season 2002-03.

ongoing sequences:

● 22 consecutive competitive appearances for Stephen O'Donnell, 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.)

● 37 competitive games since back-to-back draws, 7th May 2014 to date. (Longest run since: 59 games, 18th Aug 2009 to 11th Dec 2010. Club-record: 201 games, 11th Feb 1957 to 1st Apr 1961.)

● Thistle stay 9th in the Premiership for the 19th match in a row. (Longest run since the club-record: 33 games in 12th, 20th Sep 2003 to 15th May 2004.)

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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