30th Apr 2016 Partick Thistle 1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 4 (SPFL Premiership - game 35)

matches:2015-16: ← 41game 4243 →

38y, 9m, 17d	Alan Archibald	John Hughes

Callum Booth; Dan Seaborne; David Amoo
Christie Elliott; Gary Miller; Aidan Nesbitt

Kris Doolan (1-3, 83 mins)		Carl Tremarco (0-1, 14 mins); Miles Storey (0-2, 46 mins); Josh Meekings (0-3, 76 mins); Jordan Roberts (1-4, 85 mins)
Dan Seaborne (1-3, 83 mins)		Andréa M'Buyi-Mutombo (0-1, 14 mins); Andréa M'Buyi-Mutombo (0-2, 46 mins); Greg Tansey (0-3, 76 mins); Richie Foran (1-4, 85 mins)
Ryan Edwards; Mathias Pogba		Jordan Roberts; Miles Storey

Ryan Edwards (Mathias Pogba, 53 mins); Callum Booth (Christie Elliott, 64 mins); David Amoo (David Wilson [ii], 69 mins)		Andréa M'Buyi-Mutombo (Ryan Williams, 83 mins); Miles Storey (Richie Foran, 83 mins); Jordan Roberts (Liam Hughes, 90 mins)

23y, 6m, 1d	Ryan Scully	Owain Fôn Williams
28y, 8m, 23d	Mustapha Dumbuya	Carl Tremarco
24y, 11m, 0d	Callum Booth	Gary Warren
29y, 1m, 25d	Dan Seaborne	Josh Meekings
20y, 6m, 18d	Liam Lindsay	Ross Draper
29y, 2m, 3d	Abdul Osman	Danny Devine future Jag
25y, 0m, 17d	David Amoo	Greg Tansey
26y, 1m, 15d	Sean Welsh	Jordan Roberts
29y, 4m, 19d	Kris Doolan	Liam Polworth
22y, 5m, 13d	Ryan Edwards	Andréa M'Buyi-Mutombo future Jag
25y, 0m, 18d	Steven Lawless	Miles Storey future Jag

25y, 9m, 28d

36y, 8m, 14d	Paul Gallacher	Ryan Esson
29y, 0m, 15d	Gary Miller	Ryan Williams
27y, 3m, 27d	Freddy Frans	Richie Foran
24y, 11m, 4d	Christie Elliott	Nat Wedderburn
19y, 2m, 25d	Aidan Nesbitt	Lewis Horner
21y, 7m, 24d	David Wilson [ii]	Liam Hughes
25y, 8m, 11d	Mathias Pogba	David Raven

TTA report

A 60-yard run and shot (14), a shot across Scully (46) and 2 more from crosses (76 and 83) exploited the worst display of the season. Doolan's neat footwork close in (73) was the only consolation. Scully's instinctive blocks and the woodwork prevented humiliation. The play-off place loomed large.

Media report

30-Apr-2016, ptfc.co.uk

Thistle hosted Inverness in their second post-split fixture of the 2015/16 campaign with the Jags looking to pick up the three points that would end all uncertainty about the sides Premiership status for next season. Alan Archibald made 3 changes to the side which lost narrowly to Dundee last weekend with the suspended duo of Callum Booth and Dan Seaborne returning to the side. Christie Elliott and Gary Miller dropped out. The midfield was adjusted slightly with the pace of David Amoo preferred to the creativity of Aidan Nesbitt.

Thistle got the game underway, shooting towards the North Stand in the first half and the game was immediately an open end to end affair. With just over a minute played Liam Polworth had an early effort comfortably dealt with by Ryan Scully from around 25 yards out. Thistle had a glorious chance to take the lead after three minutes when Kris Doolan and Ryan Edwards linked up well from a Scully clearance. Edwards was able to slot the ball into the path of Steven Lawless who fired an effort inches wide of target from just inside the Inverness penalty area. Inverness were playing with a high pressing game and David Amoo burst through wide on the right. As he cut into the visitor’s penalty area, an excellent tackle halted his progress. With 15 minutes on the clock Inverness took the lead. Carl Tremarco entered the Thistle half untracked and received a through ball. With Kris Doolan bursting a gut to track the full back, Tremarco was able to advance into the Thistle penalty area and dink an effort past Scully into the far corner of the net. Jordan Roberts was next to have an effort on the Thistle goal when he curled a free kick just wide of Scully’s post. Storey burst through on goal and looked set to double Inverness’ lead but good pressure from Liam Lindsay meant his effort was weak and Scully could collect comfortably. Callum Booth whipped over a low cross which evaded everyone but unfortunately for Thistle it glanced just beyond the far post. Thistle were starting to come back into the game as an attacking threat as the first half wore on but both Welsh and Doolan couldn’t find the target with long range efforts. Miles Storey was fed through by Ross Draper but, once again, Ryan Scully was equal to his effort. Thistle’s best chance of the first half fell to Sean Welsh when his free kick from 30 yards forced a diving full length save from Fon Williams in the Inverness goal. The final effort of the first half fell to David Amoo. Steven Lawless switched the ball wide to the pacey winger. With Carl Tremarco facing him up, he cut inside but his effort was deflected into Fon Williams’ arms.

The second half got off to the worst possible fashion as Inverness doubled their lead with just over 30 seconds on the clock. A throw in found Storey in acres of space inside the Thistle penalty box. He fired a low effort across goal, finding the back of the net via the back post despite Scully getting a hand on the ball. Inverness were rampant and cutting Thistle apart at will. Storey was finding acres of space around the Thistle defence and when he teed up Mutombo, the attacker could only find the side netting. Inverness should really have been three goals up when Meekings’ cross was diverted goalwards by Jordan Roberts. His effort, however, struck the post of Ryan Scully. Thistle’s defence were all over the place as Inverness piled forward. Mutombo delivered a deep cross, which was met by Miles Storey but a terrific save from Ryan Scully denied the striker. Inverness were attacking relentlessly in the second half and only poor finishing denied them a third goal that they deserved. Brave blocks from Osman and Doolan denied Mutombo before the lively attacker was denied by an excellent double save from Scully. With the loose ball rolling towards the goal, Seaborne was able to get back and clear off the goal line. With 15 minutes to go, Inverness did grab their third goal when Meekings was able to guide a Tansey corner beyond Scully. The defender was in acres of space and fired a first time effort beyond the helpless goalkeeper. Inverness were content with the three goal cushion and retained the ball comfortably in the closing stages of the game. There was a lifeline for Thistle with six minutes remaining when Kris Doolan scored for the third consecutive home game. He pounced on hesitancy in the Inverness defence to take control of a loose ball. He danced the ball away from the goalkeeper before slotting into an empty net. The joy was short lived, however, as Roberts met a cross at the back post. His half volley went high into the net past the helpless Ryan Scully. Inverness could have added to their lead in the closing minutes as they toyed with a beleaguered Thistle side. After two minutes of additional time, Euan Anderson put the home support out of their misery in a game that could have been much worse for Alan Archibald’s men.

A LONG-TERM FAILING

● Thistle have failed to score a first-half goal in 38 out of their last 47 competitive matches, an occurrence which now seems to be majorly ingrained as a long-term failing. Such a run is completely unprecedented in the club's history.

● As it stands, Thistle have failed to score in the first-half of 78.9% of this season's competitive matches (30 out of 38). The existing record, 70.2% (33 out of 47), was set in season 2007-08. The only way this record will not be broken is if Thistle's season is extended and we score in all of the next 5 first-half's.* The current run of 9 games without a first-half goal is the longest since Ian McCall's Jags registered an 11 game run in April 2008.

● Kris Doolan gets his 78th League goal and now sits jointly with George Smith as the 4th highest scorer for Thistle in the SFL / SPL / SPFL chart. 13 more goals will see the No.9 become the club's all-time highest scorer in the SFL / SPL / SPFL.

● In terms of this season's Premiership, of all those who have scored 5 or more, only Leigh Griffiths, Kane Hemmings and Adam Rooney have a greater goals-per-minute ratio than Kris Doolan.

● When he formally confirms his place as our top League scorer in 2015-16, Kris will become the first Thistle player in history to finish as our outright top League scorer in five different seasons.

● Doolan's goal is the 9th consecutive Jags goal at the Bing end.

● Thistle's joint-record margin of defeat against Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

● For the first time in history, a side from Inverness scores 4 against Partick Thistle. Not only does the 3-goal margin equal the overall H2H record loss against ICT, it smashes the home H2H record loss against them, our heaviest home loss previously being just by one goal.

● Thistle will be mathematically safe from relegation should they win at Rugby Park next Saturday.

ongoing sequences:

● 9 competitive games without a first-half goal, 5th Mar 2016 to date. (Longest run since: 11 games; 15th Mar 2008 to 26th Apr 2008.)

● 37 consecutive competitive appearances for Steven Lawless, 9th Aug 2015 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Callum Booth - 46 games; 14th Mar 2015 to 9th Apr 2016. Club-record: Johnny Jackson - 313 games; 28th Aug 1926 to 25th Mar 1933.)

● 46 competitive away games without a penalty award, 1st Mar 2014 to date. (Longest run since: 64 games; 17th Apr 1948 to 3rd Mar 1951. Club-record: 73 games; 1st Apr 1911 to 7th Nov 1914.)

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