1st Aug 2015 Hamilton Academical 0 Partick Thistle 0 (SPFL Premiership - game 1)

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matches:2015-16: ← 04game 0506 →

	Martin Canning	Alan Archibald	38y, 0m, 19d

		Abdul Osman; Kris Doolan
		Christie Elliott; Gary Fraser



Chris Turner; Jesús García Tena		Freddy Frans
		Freddy Frans (@ 0-0, 25 mins)
Dougie Imrie (Gramoz Kurtaj, 68 mins); Christian Nadé (Carlton Morris, 76 mins); Chris Turner (Greg Docherty, 79 mins)		Ryan Stevenson (Jack W. Hendry, 29 mins); David Amoo (Declan McDaid, 56 mins); Sean Welsh (David Wilson [ii], 65 mins)

	Michael McGovern	Tomáš Černý	30y, 3m, 22d
	future Jag Ziggy Gordon	Gary Miller	28y, 3m, 17d
	Jesús García Tena	Callum Booth	24y, 2m, 2d
	Lucas Lucas	Liam Lindsay	19y, 9m, 20d
	Antons Kurakins	Freddy Frans	26y, 6m, 29d
	Dougie Imrie	Abdul Osman	28y, 5m, 5d
	former Jag Chris Turner	David Amoo	24y, 3m, 19d
	Louis Longridge	Stuart Bannigan	22y, 10m, 15d
	Ali Crawford	Kris Doolan	28y, 7m, 21d
	Christian Nadé	Ryan Stevenson	30y, 11m, 8d
	Grant Gillespie	Sean Welsh	25y, 4m, 17d

			26y, 4m, 2d

	Darren Hill	Ryan Scully	22y, 9m, 3d
	Kieran MacDonald	David Wilson [ii]	20y, 10m, 26d
	Carlton Morris	Jack W. Hendry	20y, 2m, 25d
	Gramoz Kurtaj	Declan McDaid	19y, 8m, 10d
	Greg Docherty	Jordan Leyden	19y, 4m, 23d
	Craig Watson	Gary Fraser	21y, 0m, 30d
	Steven Boyd	Kevin Nisbet	18y, 4m, 24d

TTA report

On a new plastic pitch, a 2nd yellow for Frans (25) turned this match into a rear-guard struggle. Doolan ploughed a loan furrow as Hamilton pushed Thistle further and further back. Cerny's magnificent save proved crucial and although Hamilton hit the post (84) the 10 men hung on for a richly deserved point.

Media report

01-Aug-2015, ptfc.co.uk

As the rain fell ahead of kick off at New Douglas Park there was certainly an air of nervous anticipation from the 1,321 travelling Jags fans ahead of the 2015/16 season finally got under way. Ultimately it would be a match defined by a decision – or, more precisely, two decisions – made by referee Brian Colvin. Alan Archibald's first team selection of the season saw three players make their Thistle debuts. Tomas Cerny started in goal against his former team, Gary Miller filled the right back slot and David Amoo also made his debut. On the bench Gary Fraser was by far the most experienced of the seven listed, with Ryan Scully, David Wilson, Jack W. Hendry, Declan McDaid, Jordan Leyden and Kevin Nisbet making up the rest of the subs.

In a game of few chances the first fell to the home side when Imrie could only put his header well wide while under strong pressure from Callum Booth. Hamilton had the best of the opening 10 minutes but failed to make their dominance pay, only testing the Jags’ keeper once. A shot from Crawford that Cerny saved comfortably. On fourteen minutes Frederic Frans fouled Christian Nadé just outside the home team’s box after the Frenchman had taken the ball past the Thistle centre half. The Belgian was booked for the foul – a decision that many would have said was soft. As the first half ticked on the only chance that would fall the visitors’ way was when a free kick was awarded some 35 yards from goal. Stuart Bannigan touched the ball to Stevenson but the attacker’s shot was high and wide – never troubling the Accies’ net. Just minutes later came the decision that would kill the game as a spectacle. Frans, already booked for the earlier incident, clipped Kurakins 30 yards from goal only to see Brian Colvin pull a second yellow and dismiss the Thistle player on 25 minutes. Gary Miller deputised at centre back before the Thistle bench could bring Jack W. Hendry on for Stevenson and restore some balance to the back line. In the last 10 minutes of the first half Hamilton had a series of chances. First, Lindsay was required to divert a Kurakins cross away from goal before Turner, who should perhaps have done better, put his header wide of goal. The home side saved the best for last though as Thistle lost possession cheaply only to see Crawford squander a good chance to put his side one up.

Half time came and Thistle would have been the happier of the two sides having, on the whole, coped very well with Accies’ threat. The opening 15 minutes of the second half contained very little action and only really an Accies penalty shout in terms of action as Bannigan challenged Gordon in the box. Declan McDaid replaced David Amoo just before the hour. Crawford was creating a lot of the best moves for Thistle but nobody could get past Cerny who saved a shot low from the same player. The best save was still to come though. Crawford again hitting a shot which looked for all the world a goal only to see the Czech keeper tip the ball over the bar – a save that could already be a contender for stop of the season. As the second half progressed, Accies really turned up the pressure but the Jags’ defence held strong. Thistle were definitely on the back foot though and chances came at a premium. Once or twice McDaid did use his pace to beat his man only for his crosses either to be snuffed out or to find Doolan unable to convert. The final real chance came in the 84th minute when Hamilton came so close to taking the lead. Docherty’s shot hit the inside of the post and bounced out to a Thistle defender who cleared the danger leaving Jags’ fans hearts in mouths. Hamilton might have dominated possession for the closing minutes but Thistle never really looked like losing the game and, as the full time whistle went, it was a hard fought and well-earned point for the team in the light blue away kit.

COLVIN - DOES HE KNOW WHAT HE'S DOING?

● Thistle are back in action after 70 days, setting the club-record for the shortest close season in League terms, which stands today.

● Freddy becomes the first Jag to be sent off in an opening League game since Willie Kinniburgh, who was sent off in the 41st minute of the 4-0 reversal at Stark's Park 5 years ago. Freddy's the first Thistle player to be sent off in the first competitive game of the season since Dougie Bell in a 2-1 League defeat at Cappielow in August 1991.

● Brian Colvin, who was 88.2% against Thistle last term, strengthens his place at the very bottom of our referee favours table. His decision-making has consistently went against Thistle since he first darkened our door in 2011 - only once in 11 games have Thistle been favoured by the man. Points wise (1 for a yellow, 4 for a red, 5 for a penalty), he's sitting at 68.2% against us, setting himself apart from the crop of 15 whistlers who are currently on rotation for Thistle games. It's a shocking stat when you consider that refs shouldn't be too far away from 50-50 in the long-term when decisions are said to "even themselves out".

● Thistle's run of 44 competitive games without back-to-back draws comes to an end.

● In the "all-games" category, Jags have now drawn four matches in-a-row. A draw next week would equal the all-time club-record run of five, which was set in 1911, and matched in 1921 and 1978.

● Thistle are currently on an "all-game" run of 4 away days without conceding a goal, the best run since 5 games in 1991. The all-time club record was 6-in-a-row set between January and March, 1983.

● Liam retains his amazing record of remaining undefeated in competitive first-team action for Partick Thistle, which now stretches to 4 seasons-in-a-row! He has played exactly one competitive game per season since 2012-13, all of which have been drawn.

● Thistle are now 16 competitive games without a win in their away strip, a run which stretches all the way back to 2012.

● In competitive action, Thistle are 7 GAMES WITHOUT A GOAL in their away strip, a record Shirley?

● Jags have now played 27 games without going backwards in the table (where the streak contains at least some positive progress), 3rd Dec 2014 to date. It's the longest run since the club record, 29 games, 7th Oct 2000 to 4th Aug 2001. With the recorded "post-game / end-of-day" position now being 4th=, only a victory against Celtic will do if the Jags are to have a chance of beating this crazy record.

● Stuart is the new squad leader for consecutive competitive appearances, currently sitting at 19. It's the longest run since Stephen O'Donnell's 29, set 8th Nov 2014 to 23rd May 2015.

● And finally, to finish on a happy note, Thistle’s 23-year 9-game unbeaten run for top-flight openers, which began in 1992, duly continues, and is the longest by time-span amongst our Premiership rivals. Rangers (1872), in 1981, were the last side to defeat the Jags in a top flight opener.

ongoing sequences:

● 19 consecutive competitive appearances for Stuart Bannigan, 24th Jan 2015 to date. (Longest run since: Stephen O'Donnell - 29 games; 8th Nov 2014 to 23rd May 2015. Club-record: Johnny Jackson - 313 games; 28th Aug 1926 to 25th Mar 1933.)

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