7th May 2017 Partick Thistle 1 Rangers 2 (SPFL Premiership - game 35)

matches:2016-17: ← 47game 4849 →

39y, 9m, 24d	Alan Archibald	Pedro Caixinha

Liam Lindsay; Abdul Osman
Danny Devine; Andy McCarthy

Kris Doolan (1-0, 14 mins)		Barrie McKay (1-1, 83 mins); Joe Garner (90+4 mins)
Christie Elliott (1-0, 14 mins)		Wes Foderingham (1-1, 83 mins); Kenny Miller (90+4 mins)
Callum Booth		Joe Garner

Chris Erskine (Ade Azeez, 87 mins); Ryan Edwards (Andy McCarthy, 89 mins)		Martyn Waghorn (Clint Hill, 53 mins); Danny Wilson (Jamie Barjonas, 71 mins); Jason Holt (Barrie McKay, 76 mins)

32y, 0m, 27d	Tomáš Černý	Wes Foderingham
25y, 11m, 11d	Christie Elliott	James Tavernier
25y, 11m, 7d	Callum Booth	Danny Wilson
21y, 6m, 25d	Liam Lindsay	Joe Garner
22y, 1m, 2d	Niall Keown	Kenny Miller future Jag
26y, 4m, 0d	Adam Barton	Josh Windass
30y, 2m, 10d	Abdul Osman	Joe Dodoo
30y, 2m, 29d	Chris Erskine	Jason Holt
30y, 4m, 26d	Kris Doolan	David Bates
23y, 5m, 20d	Ryan Edwards	Martyn Waghorn
26y, 0m, 25d	Steven Lawless	Myles Beerman

26y, 9m, 2d

26y, 8m, 28d	Mark Ridgers	Jak Alnwick
29y, 9m, 0d	Mustapha Dumbuya	Clint Hill
26y, 0m, 24d	David Amoo	Barrie McKay
23y, 3m, 29d	Ade Azeez	Andy Halliday
18y, 6m, 1d	Neil McLaughlin	Andrew Dallas
20y, 1m, 29d	Kevin Nisbet	Serge Atakayi
18y, 6m, 17d	Andy McCarthy	Jamie Barjonas future Jag

notes

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

TTA report

Doolan's near-post header from Elliott's cross (14) triggered some fine play then Keown and Edwards might have doubled the lead. Thistle were the better team but Rangers pushed more men forward and a long ball over the top (83) then a back-post header (94) made for a bitterly disappointing afternoon.

Media report

07-May-2017, bbc.com

Joe Garner scored a stoppage-time winner as Rangers came from behind to beat Partick Thistle at Firhill. Kris Doolan nodded home at the end of a great move as Thistle took the lead and complete control of the first half following early Rangers pressure. Substitute Barrie McKay produced a moment of quality to poke home and haul his side level. And Garner superbly headed in Kenny Miller's cross to complete the comeback and hand his side all three points. The win, which ensures a top-four finish and secures European football for Rangers next season, takes the third-placed Ibrox side to within six points of second-placed Aberdeen, who play Hearts later. For Partick, it was deja vu after November's match in which Doolan gave them the lead only for a late Joe Dodoo brace to win it for Rangers.

Pedro Caixinha sent out an attacking line-up with Garner, Dodoo, Miller and Martyn Waghorn looking to take the game to Thistle, and for the first 10 minutes the visitors enjoyed plenty of possession in the final third. Miller pulled an angled effort wide, Garner knocked a near-post effort into the side netting and Josh Windass was looking lively in midfield. The question was always going to centre on how the defence would cope in such a line-up and the answer came when Partick sliced through the back-line all too easily. Doolan held the ball up brilliantly and played in Steven Lawless before breaking into the box to nod a superb Christie Elliott cross beyond Wes Foderingham. Niall Keown headed a great chance over the bar soon after and Ryan Edwards found himself in acres of space three yards from goal but Foderingham managed to divert it wide as the home side pressed for a second. Rangers' early confidence was gone, Partick's was growing by the second and they controlled the remainder of the opening 45 minutes.

Caixinha sent the same side out for the second half but soon added the experienced Clint Hill to the defence, with Waghorn making way. Miller had a sniff at goal but Tomas Cerny snuffed that out superbly and Thistle went up the park where Doolan nodded wide after a Danny Wilson slip afforded him the freedom of the six-yard box. Edwards was dictating the play for Partick in midfield, looking a yard ahead of his Rangers counterparts in terms of pace and thought. On came youngster Jamie Barjonas for his debut in an attempt to bolster the Rangers midfield, with Wilson going off and Jason Holt soon making way for McKay. Caixinha's final roll of the dice made a difference as McKay hauled Rangers level, the winger showing great composure and touch to go past two Thistle defenders before beating Cerny. Garner won it with seconds to play, rising to expertly head beyond Cerny after excellent work on the right from Miller. Rangers will be delighted to return to winning ways following back-to-back Old Firm defeats, but the performance against Partick will have done little to convince their fans of any major improvement. They started well but as soon as Partick settled into the game the Ibrox players look disjointed and directionless. Boss Caixinha made changes to his system and personnel throughout the match, suggesting he is still struggling to discover how to get the best from this group. Partick boss Archibald will be disappointed to yet again lose out to late Rangers goals, and this is a match his side probably deserved a point from.

Reaction

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

It's a sore one. We put a lot into that first-half performance. We created a number of good opportunities - that was the only negative, not adding to our 1-0 lead. We weren't outdone by tactics or anything like that. It's one long ball that outdoes us. You feel guilty about having a go but we've got to learn from it. We've got to move on. We want to be a top-six side, we want to stay away from the bottom end of the league. You've got to see games out and manage them and learn from it. Once we lost the goal we didn't react in the right way. We didn't do the basics. With 30 seconds to go, you've got to go and defend your box as if your life depends on it.

Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha (speaking to the BBC):

If we were not together as a group I don't think the players would celebrate like that at the end. I really like the way the players understood and were committed. There were a lot of moments I really felt the passion from the players. Today was really important for us to show a reaction. We showed it in the second half and I need to be happy with that. We needed to change the course of the game and we managed it. My passion and dedication to this sport is that I would rather die trying it rather than be alive to see what happens. And that is what the players did.

Kris featured at #19 in our Top 25 countdown here on The Thistle Archive →

KRIS DOOLAN

07.05.2017 Rangers [h] L1-2 (SPFL Premiership - game 35)
Kris Doolan (1-0, 14 mins)

Having made a conscientious decision to refuse offers to play elsewhere, Kris Doolan had sacrificed an extra couple of quid in exchange for personal happiness in his working environment, and the opportunity to indelibly stamp his achievements in the history books forever. It was an admirable decision, and one which looked to be wiser with every passing year, as the number nine continued his relentless ascent up into the highest echelons of the all-time Partick Thistle goal-scorers charts.

We’re still talking about Willie Paul more than 100 years later, and I’m sure future Jaggy generations will be doing the same with Kris Doolan into the next century.

Three goals against Rangers contributed towards his legendary status within the walls of Firhill, but what a pity they were all defeats. This entry is one example where the player’s general credentials are enough to outweigh such disappointments.

A 90th minute equaliser in the League Cup Quarter Final of September 2017 vies hard for inclusion, but his opener in a Firhill League encounter on Sunday, 7th May, 2017, was the better goal.

Rippling the net at 12:29pm, it was the earliest on the clock in Doolan’s extensive goals portfolio. And what a joy to behold it was.

An unidentified flying object (formally measured as 1.2 Km in height by the official SPFL satellite) was controlled from out of the sky by Doolan. Turns out it was actually the match ball, which he then held up brilliantly before laying it off to the supporting Stevie Lawless, making a run down the left on the main stand side. Stevie jinked past one and played a beautiful cross-field pass with the outside of his left foot, finding the overlapping Christie Elliott who was bombing down the right wing in front of the JHS. Six yards from the bye line, Christie zipped in a cross precisely, and the masterly box sense of Kris Doolan ensured that the invitation was timeously received with the respect it deserved, his diving bullet-header leaving Wes Foderingham with absolutely zero chance of a save. Truly, an awesome team goal.

Right there, right then Thistle were riding as high as Jags fans can care to remember in recent decades. We were closing out the season as a Top 6 side, and played Rangers off the park in that first half.

Dreamland! (It was good while it lasted anyway.)

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KRIS DOOLAN