20th Aug 2016 Aberdeen 2 Partick Thistle 1 (SPFL Premiership - game 2)

matches:2016-17: ← 10game 1112 →

	Derek McInnes	Alan Archibald	39y, 1m, 7d

		Tomáš Černý; Liam Lindsay; Ade Azeez; Ryan Edwards
		Ryan Scully; David Syme; Kris Doolan; Chris Erskine

Niall McGinn (0-1, 28 mins); Miles Storey (0-2, 58 mins)		Chris Erskine (1-2, 90 mins)
none (0-1, 28 mins); none (0-2, 58 mins)		Kris Doolan (1-2, 90 mins)
Niall McGinn		Abdul Osman; Danny Devine; Sean Welsh
		Sean Welsh (@ 0-2, 87 mins)
Peter Pawlett (Wes Burns, 64 mins); Miles Storey (Ash Taylor, 64 mins); Adam Rooney (Jayden Stockley, 88 mins)		Ryan Edwards (Chris Erskine, 61 mins); David Amoo (Kris Doolan, 72 mins); Ade Azeez (Mathias Pogba, 75 mins)

	Joe Lewis	Tomáš Černý	31y, 4m, 10d
	Shay Logan	Ziggy Gordon	23y, 3m, 28d
	Graeme Shinnie	Callum Booth	25y, 2m, 21d
	Andrew Considine	Liam Lindsay	20y, 10m, 8d
	Mark Reynolds	Danny Devine	23y, 11m, 13d
	Kenny McLean	Abdul Osman	29y, 5m, 24d
	Adam Rooney	David Amoo	25y, 4m, 7d
	Niall McGinn	Sean Welsh	26y, 5m, 5d
	Anthony O'Connor	Ade Azeez	22y, 7m, 12d
	Peter Pawlett	Ryan Edwards	22y, 9m, 3d
	future Jag Miles Storey	Steven Lawless	25y, 4m, 8d

			25y, 1m, 25d

	Neil Alexander	Ryan Scully	23y, 9m, 22d
	Ash Taylor	Kris Doolan	29y, 8m, 9d
	Wes Burns	Chris Erskine	29y, 6m, 12d
	Jayden Stockley	Christie Elliott	25y, 2m, 25d
	Craig Storie	David Wilson [ii]	21y, 11m, 14d
	Scott McKenna	Declan McDaid	20y, 8m, 29d
	Frank Ross	Mathias Pogba	26y, 0m, 1d

notes

Thistle generally in playing order, opposition in squad number order.

TTA report

A wild tackle by Osman led to a 25-yard free-kick for 1-0 (28). Azeez and Edwards went close but when Lindsay lost possession it gifted a 2nd (58). Welsh was sent off (disputing a booking, 87) but a spirited display saw Erskine fire home an 18-yarder (90) then desperate defending on the line denied Thistle a draw.

Media report

Scott Davie, 20-Aug-2016, bbc.com

Aberdeen scored their first Premiership goals of the season as they survived a late Partick rally at Pittodrie. Niall McGinn curled a sublime 20-yard free-kick over the wall to open the Dons' account in the first half. A dreadful defensive error caused the second as Liam Lindsay dithered, Graeme Shinnie nicked in and Miles Storey slotted his first Dons goal. Thistle's Mathias Pogba headed wide before substitute Chris Erskine lashed home from the edge of the box late on. Even then the visitors might have grabbed an equaliser deep into injury time but Kenny McLean's desperate clearance denied Abdul Osman. It was a spirited response from Thistle, who had Sean Welsh sent off with four minutes remaining after he was yellow-carded for a foul on substitute Wes Burns, then booked again for complaining to referee John Beaton. While they slipped to their first league defeat of the campaign, Aberdeen's first victory lifted them to fourth in the early Premiership table.

Thistle were able to welcome back Tomas Cerny in goal after missing their League Cup defeat at Dundee United and he immediately showed his importance with two excellent saves to deny Peter Pawlett a goal in the first 15 minutes. Aberdeen survived an early scare of their own when Danny Devine headed Welsh's corner wide when he should have hit the target. But the home side largely controlled matters with some pacey, fluent attacking football. It was a reckless tackle from Osman though that gave McGinn the chance to break the deadlock after 28 minutes, the Thistle captain flattening Shinnie on the edge of the box. That earned Osman a booking and the Northern Ireland international exacted further punishment by curling a sublime free-kick into the top-right hand corner. Adam Rooney could have added a second six minutes later when he stole in behind the backline but Cerny blocked his first attempt and Lindsay deflected his effort from the rebound wide. Despite Aberdeen's dominance, the visitors could have been level by the interval after a brilliant run from deep in his own half by David Amoo left Mark Reynolds floundering. He advanced into the Dons penalty area but waited too long to get a shot away and Shay Logan got across to make a vital block. The lively Ade Azeez nearly fashioned a leveller after 52 minutes when he volleyed a Ryan Edwards cross narrowly wide. That made it all the more galling for Thistle when Lindsay was caught on the ball and dispossessed by Shinnie, allowing Storey to open his account for the club. There was further late drama after Erskine's left-foot strike as Aberdeen were left holding on when they should have seen the game out comfortably.

Reaction

Partick Thistle boss Alan Archibald (speaking to the BBC):

I was delighted with the spirit the boys showed, especially when they went down to 10 men for the last 10 minutes. I don't think it was a foul for the first yellow that [Sean Welsh] got and he said it wasn't, which is why he was so aggrieved, but you can't have dissent and the consequences are we lose him next week. I thought we were comfortable until a wonderful free-kick got Aberdeen in front because we created the best chances of the first half but didn't take them. That's what happens against a team like Aberdeen - they are always going to hurt you.

Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes (speaking to the BBC):

I think we knocked off in the last 10 minutes when Welsh was sent off and one or two thought the game was done, but that was a reminder that there is still work to be done. But I would rather concentrate on the first 80 minutes because we were very good, we had moments of quality and it was a terrific free-kick from Niall McGinn. I thought we were the better team and thoroughly deserved our victory. There were a lot of strong performances and it was important ahead of a big game next week at Celtic Park. I watched Celtic at St Johnstone for the first hour before our game and they were terrific. We have to go there confident and ready to try to take them on, and show we are worthy of me saying we can compete with them this season.

SUBS COMBINE TO END LONG PITTODRIE GOAL DROUGHT

● Sean Welsh's red card for dissent underlines just how poor Thistle's discipline record has been in recent seasons. In the first season of the Premiership, Thistle won 16 of the 38 "discipline battles" (42.1%). Since then, we've only won 16 of the next 78 (20.5%).

● Kris Doolan registers only his third-ever Premiership assist. He now has 36 games in which to register a new personal best of two in one season!

● Kris Doolan's assist for Chris Erskine marks a rare instance of such a collaboration between introduced subs. There have only been 2 other occurences since the Archive started taking assist records in 2013-14; Gary Fraser assisted Steven Lawless in the 3-1 friendly win over Sunderland XI in August, 2014 and Kris Doolan assisted Steven Lawless in the 3-1 League Cup win over Cowdenbeath in August, 2013.

● Chris Erskine's fabulous strike breaks a run of almost 10 competitive hours without a Thistle goal at Pittodrie. He's the first Jag to score up there since Jamie Mitchell netted the equaliser in a 2-1 defeat back in September 2003.

● Thistle are now 8 competitive games without a win at Pittodrie. In fact, Lambie's back-2-back wins in 2002-03 were the only 2 victories in our last 28 visits.

● After 7 games, Thistle have yet to draw a competitive match this season.

ongoing sequences:

● 7 competitive games without a draw. (Longest run since: 9 games; 2nd Feb 2016 to 19th Mar 2016. Club-record: 27 games; 18th Feb 1899 to 23rd Dec 1899.)

● 45 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.)

● 47 consecutive competitive appearances for Steven Lawless, 9th Aug 2015 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Aaron Taylor-Sinclair - 55 games; 27th Oct 2012 to 18th Jan 2014. Club-record: Johnny Jackson - 313 games; 28th Aug 1926 to 25th Mar 1933.)

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