The Thistle Archive

matches:2014-15: ← 48game 4901 →

	Ian Baraclough	Alan Archibald	37y, 10m, 10d

		Jack W. Hendry; Ben Richards-Everton; David Wilson [ii]; Christie Elliott
		Conrad Balatoni; Freddy Frans; Lyle Taylor; Steven Lawless





Lionel Ainsworth (Jack Leitch, HT); Simon Ramsden (Mark O'Brien, 56 mins); Louis Laing (Josh Law, 63 mins)		Kris Doolan (Lyle Taylor, 67 mins); David Wilson [ii] (James Craigen, 76 mins); Kallum Higginbotham (Neil McLaughlin, 81 mins)

	Dan Twardzik	Scott Fox	27y, 10m, 25d
	Stuart Carswell	Stephen O'Donnell	23y, 0m, 12d
	Luke Watt	Callum Booth	23y, 11m, 23d
	Simon Ramsden	Jack W. Hendry	20y, 0m, 16d
	Lionel Ainsworth	Ben Richards-Everton	22y, 7m, 6d
	John Sutton	Stuart Bannigan	22y, 8m, 6d
	Craig Moore	Gary Fraser	20y, 10m, 21d
	Dom Thomas	David Wilson [ii]	20y, 8m, 17d
	Anthony Straker	Kris Doolan	28y, 5m, 12d
	Louis Laing	Christie Elliott	23y, 11m, 27d
	Conor Grant	Kallum Higginbotham	25y, 11m, 8d

			23y, 7m, 26d

	George Long	Paul Gallacher	35y, 9m, 7d
	Jack Leitch	James Craigen	24y, 1m, 25d
	Lee Erwin	Abdul Osman	28y, 2m, 26d
	Dylan Mackin	Declan McDaid	19y, 6m, 1d
	Josh Law	Lyle Taylor	25y, 1m, 24d
	Mark O’Brien	Neil McLaughlin	16y, 6m, 17d
	Marvin Johnson

	Teamlines derived from PTFC / SPFL. Thistle filled only 6 of their 7 allocated bench slots.
	3711 (SPFL)

With a number of reserves/debutants and playing 3 at the back, Thistle took time to settle into a crisp passing game. Efforts on goal were from distance but good goalkeeping and wayward shooting denied them, Fraser in particular. Motherwell wasted 2 clear-cut chances and Fox had some fine saves. Thistle finished 8th.

Motherwell prepared for the Premiership play-off final against Rangers with a goalless draw against Partick Thistle. Gary Fraser's shot saved by Well goalkeeper Dan Twardzik was the best effort of the first half. Kallum Higginbotham and Calum Booth threatened for the Jags after the break. John Sutton had two chances for the hosts in the second half, having a free-kick saved then firing wide from a promising position. Second-bottom Motherwell's place in the final had been confirmed last weekend but it was only shortly before kick-off in Lanarkshire that Rangers secured their place by beating Hibernian 2-1 on aggregate. Steelmen boss Ian Baraclough made nine changes to his starting line-up ahead of Thursday's first leg, Simon Ramsden and Conor Grant the only two players to keep their place. Thistle boss Alan Archibald also took the opportunity to rest players and gave 20-year-old Jack W. Hendry his debut with former Tamworth defender Ben Richards-Everton also making his first start for the club. The home side started the match on the front foot with a number of crosses into the box but failing to cause the Thistle defence too many problems. The Jags' best effort in the first half came from Fraser who warmed the palms of Twardzik from 25 yards. The match had a typical end-of-season feel with lots of endeavour but few clear cut opportunities. Motherwell captain for the day Sutton was denied by Fox from 22 yards with the goalkeeper diving low to his left to block the set-piece effort. And with the clock ticking towards full-time the home side passed up what proved to be the best chance of the game. Craig Moore evaded the attention of the Jags defence and cut the ball back towards Sutton. The striker looked destined to score but was leaning back and fired his shot wide. Baraclough's men will hope for better in their double-header against Rangers, as the Fir Park side seek to avoid relegation and extend their 28-year stay in Scotland's top flight.

bbc.com

NEW CLUB-RECORDS TO FINISH THE SEASON

● The closing game of the 140th season of Partick Thistle F.C.

● 16-year-old Neil McLaughlin makes his Thistle debut. He displaces Marc Waters as the most recently born player to be included in a first-team match day squad.

● 20-year-old Jack Hendry makes his Thistle debut.

● Jack and Neil become the 36th and 37th players to play for the first-team this season, and the 28th and 29th to do so in competitive fixtures.

● Late call-offs meant that, for the second time since returning to the Premiership, Thistle do not fill the bench with the full complement of seven substitutes.

● 22-year-old Ben Richards-Everton plays his last game for Thistle. Despite being "released" on Thursday, gets his first-start. Only at Thistle!

● After 6 substitute appearances, David Wilson [ii] gets his first competitive start.

● 23-year-old Stephen O'Donnell plays his last game for Thistle.

● 24-year-old James Craigen plays his last game for Thistle.

● 25-year-old Kallum Higginbotham plays his last game for Thistle.

● 25-year-old Lyle Taylor plays his last game for Thistle.

● Thistle are now 15 competitive games since a win in their away strip. The last such victory, achieved in deep purple, was recorded on 3rd November 2012, as the Jags defeated Cove Rangers, in the Scottish Cup at Firhill, by 2 goals to 1.

● Thistle have set two new club-records for the goal-difference column in the top-flight. Bearing in mind that the format was introduced in 1970-71, this season's +4 beats the previous best +3 which was set by Bertie Auld's Jags in 1978-79. Also, finishing with the 4th highest GD in the top-flight is a new peak. This is the third season-in-a-row in which Archie's Jags have set a new table record, having previously garnered a record points total (78) in 2012-13 and a best top-flight away goal-difference (-3) in 2013-14.

● Whether it's goal difference (back to 1970-71) or goal average (back to 1921-22), Thistle's finish of 4th best in the top-flight is the joint-2nd highest finish of all-time, only bettered with a 3rd best finish in 1947-48.

● Thistle have gathered 1.21 points per game in this season's League - a massive jump from 1.00 ppg last term. Post-reconstruction, and theoretically applying 3 pts per win, only Bertie Auld's Jags achieved a higher ratio, his best being 1.31. Lambie's best was 1.19, set in 1994-95.

● For the first time since season 1973-74, Thistle have completed a whole season without a competitive goal from a penalty.

● Kris Doolan finishes as Thistle's top League scorer for the 4th time and joins an exclusive club of 5 men who have done such a thing (to be fair to the players, I allow the regional wartime season's for this query). The list of scoring greats now includes Willie Paul, Sam Kennedy, Willie Sharp, Dougie Somner and Kris Doolan. Only the club's all-time highest goalscorer, Willie Sharp, went beyond this point, having achieved the feat in 5 different seasons.

● Somewhat bizarrely, Kris failed to score an away League goal this term, and he duly becomes the first man in the club's history to finish top League scorer despite being completely thwarted on enemy soil.

● Conceding 1.16 League goals per game represents Thistle's 7th best defensive performance in 82 top-flight seasons. Incredibly, a clean-sheet at home to Kilmarnock last week would have meant 2nd best of all-time!

● Thistle have finished the season with an impressive 12 clean-sheets in the League. You have to rewind back to 1930-31 to find the last time the Jags returned a higher total (13) in the top-flight.

● In total, Thistle have finished the season with an incredible tally of 15 competitive clean-sheets - almost 35% of the games played. It's the 6th highest % return for any top-flight season in Thistle's history and it's almost 100 years since the ratio was last bettered in this class - George Easton's legendary side of 1920-21 returned 41.8%, which included an incredible 8 out of 11 in the Scottish Cup alone. The class of 2014-15 are keeping good company!

ongoing sequences:

● 10 competitive games since a home draw.

● 14 competitive games without defeat when scoring the opening goal.

● 25 games without going backwards in the table (where the streak contains at least some positive progress), 3rd Dec 2014 to date. (Longest run since the club-record: 29 games, 7th Oct 2000 to 4th Aug 2001.)

● 29 consecutive competitive appearances for Stephen O'Donnell, 8th Nov 2014 to date. (Longest run since: Kallum Higginbotham - 33 games; 10th Aug 2013 to 26th Mar 2014). Club-record: Johnny Jackson - 313 games, 28th Aug 1926 to 25th Mar 1933.)

● 44 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.)

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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