9th Aug 2016 Dundee United 3 Partick Thistle 1 (League Cup 2nd Round)

matches:2016-17: ← 09game 1011 →

Match Information

			Ray McKinnon		Alan Archibald			39y, 0m, 27d
					Ryan Scully; David Syme
					Tomáš Černý; Liam Lindsay
Cammy Smith (0-1, 10 mins); Cammy Smith (0-2, 27 mins); Cammy Smith (0-3, pen 30 mins)					Sean Welsh (1-3, pen 65 mins)
Scott Fraser (0-1, 10 mins); Tope Obadeyi (0-2, 27 mins); none (0-3, pen 30 mins)					none (1-3, pen 65 mins)
Willo Flood; Coll Donaldson					Ziggy Gordon; Abdul Osman; Callum Booth; Danny Devine; Ryan Edwards
Lewis Toshney (Seán Dillon, 73 mins); Cammy Smith (Simon Murray, 78 mins); Scott Fraser (Charlie Telfer, 85 mins)					David Amoo (Ade Azeez, 39 mins); David Syme (Ryan Edwards, 57 mins); Kris Doolan (Mathias Pogba, 78 mins)
			future Jag Cammy Bell		Ryan Scully			23y, 9m, 11d
			Mark Durnan		Ziggy Gordon			23y, 3m, 17d
			Coll Donaldson		Callum Booth			25y, 2m, 10d
			Lewis Toshney		David Syme			19y, 1m, 17d
			future Jag Blair Spittal		Danny Devine			23y, 11m, 2d
			Stewart Murdoch		Abdul Osman			29y, 5m, 13d
			Scott Fraser		David Amoo			25y, 3m, 27d
			Tope Obadeyi		Sean Welsh			26y, 4m, 25d
			future Jag Cammy Smith		Kris Doolan			29y, 7m, 29d
			Willo Flood		Chris Erskine			29y, 6m, 1d
			Jamie Robson		Steven Lawless			25y, 3m, 28d
								25y, 6m, 17d
			Luis Zwick		David Crawford			31y, 1m, 10d
			Seán Dillon		Ade Azeez			22y, 7m, 1d
			Simon Murray		David Wilson [ii]			21y, 11m, 3d
			Charlie Telfer		Ryan Edwards			22y, 8m, 23d
			Justin Johnson		Declan McDaid			20y, 8m, 18d
			Ali Coote		Mathias Pogba			25y, 11m, 21d
			Jassem Sukar

notes

Thistle generally in playing order, opposition in squad number order. Thistle filled only 6 of their 7 allocated bench slots.

Match Report

TTA report

United ran Thistle ragged with pace and a finish. Moves beginning on half-way made it 2-0 (10 and 27) before a pen (Gordon's hand ball, 30). Welsh's pen for hand ball (65) was too late. Poor in every position except Scully who had some tremendous saves after half-time. The makeshift defence was found wanting.

Media report

Scott Davie, 09-Aug-2016, bbc.com

Cammy Smith's hat-trick inside 20 first-half minutes saw Championship side Dundee United beat Partick Thistle to reach the League Cup quarter-finals. The striker, on loan from Aberdeen, latched onto Scott Fraser's pass for the opener and grabbed his second with a high-class solo run and smart finish. He dispatched a penalty for his treble by the 30th minute and United could have had several more by half-time. Sean Welsh's penalty gave Thistle hope but United saw out the win comfortably.

The hosts were sluggish in the first half of their Championship opener against Queen of the South on Saturday but there was nothing to fault the way they started this tie. United had too much pace and ingenuity for their top-flight opponents, the outstanding Scott Fraser and Tope Obadeyi causing havoc with their movement. Obadeyi, twice, and Blair Spittal might have added further goals by the interval but United boss Ray McKinnon manager must have been happy with the three they did score. Smith showed the benefit of a regular start on loan, taking his goal tally to four for the Terrors, the same number he scored in nearly 90 appearances for Aberdeen, though a high percentage of those outings were as a substitute. His first was a sublime finish, gathering a delicious Fraser pass, controlling the ball then steering it behind Ryan Scully. For his second, Smith picked up possession just inside the Thistle half, run away from Callum Booth then held off the defender to score when he got back to him in the box. The 20-year-old completed his hat trick with a penalty struck straight down the middle after Ziggy Gordon blocked Blair Spittal's shot with an arm. Thistle were given a glimpse of a way back from a penalty of their own when Chris Erskine was pushed over by Mark Durnan and Welsh scored with 25 minutes left, but United's defence held firm.

Reaction

Thistle boss Alan Archibald (speaking to the BBC):

It was awful right from kick-off - a really poor performance. I didn't see that coming. It was the total opposite of the weekend win [2-0] against Caley Thistle when our keeper didn't have a serious save to make. We were unrecognisable and I feel sorry for our fans that have paid good money to travel here. We stood off United from the kick off, made poor decisions right across the pitch and guys who are usually our leaders didn't do it tonight. Nobody got pass marks across the board. Everyone including myself has to look themselves in the mirror.

United boss Ray McKinnon (speaking to the BBC):

We played some very good football in the first half, especially the forward play, and when the penalty was given against us in the second, I was really pleased with how we reacted. We showed some resilience. Some of the link-up play and finishing was pretty special. Cammy's composure and movement for the goals was outstanding, he has done really well since coming in on loan. I am delighted for him. There were huge positives all over. Young left-back Jamie Robson was outstanding, Scott Fraser was outstanding, Blair Spittal was excellent and Tope Obadeyi playing as a lone striker was fantastic.

United hat-trick hero Cammy Smith (speaking to the BBC:

The standard has been set after that. We looked dangerous every time we went forward and could have had a few more goals, but we have to be happy with our night's work. It is a great victory for us. It wasn't like [Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes] was pushing me out the door. We had a few chats and thought going out on loan would be best for my development. I am here to play games and long may it continue.

Scrapbook

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Metro, 10th August, 2016

Stats Watch

HORRENDOUS CUP HOODOO CONTINUES

● 19-year-old David Syme plays his last game for Thistle.

● Sean Welsh maintains his 100% spot-kick record - now 4/4, all in competitive action. Only 6 players with a 100% competitive record are believed to have ventured beyond this point: Davie Mathers (5); Norrie McCredie (5); Bill Shankly (6); Gary Harkins (6); Ronnie Glavin (7); Jered Stirling (13).

● Sean becomes the 6th member of the current squad to take his goals tally into double figures in competitive action for Thistle. He joins Stuart Bannigan (10); Christie Elliott (14); Steven Lawless (29); Chris Erskine (40) and Kris Doolan (90).

● 5 Thistle players pick up yellow cards, for only the second time this decade. To find a higher yellow card count you have to rewind back to August 2003, when 6 Jags incurred the wrath of John Rowbotham in a 2-2 draw in the SPL at Fir Park.

● The goals-against per-game ratios of the current Thistle goalies in competitive action are incredibly wide-ranging and read: David Crawford (0.67), Tomáš Černý (1.00) and Ryan Scully (1.74).

● Thistle's 39-year-old horror-sequence of Cup defeats vs. Dundee United now stands at 12 consecutive losses. The run is second only to 13 consecutive Cup defeats to Rangers, set between 1936 and 1949.

● For only the second time in the club's history, lower League opponents remove Thistle from the knockout stage of the League Cup in two consecutive seasons.

ongoing sequences:

● 44 away League games without a penalty award, 1st Mar 2014 to date. (Longest run since: 46 games; 5th Dec 1914 to 24th Mar 1917. Club-record: 62 games; 1st Apr 1911 to 7th Nov 1914.)

● 46 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.)

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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