14th Mar 2021 Partick Thistle 1 Heart of Midlothian 2 (Friendly)

matches:2020-21: ← 18game 1920 →

Match Information

56y, 5m, 12d			Ian McCall		Robbie Neilson
Shea Gordon; Brian Graham; Ross MacIver
Ross Docherty; Zak Rudden; Connor Murray
Shea Gordon (1-0, 15 mins)					Euan Henderson (1-1, 42 mins); Christophe Berra (1-2, 58 mins)
Brian Graham (1-0, 15 mins)					Jamie Walker (1-1, 42 mins); Arron Darge (1-2, 58 mins)
Richard Foster; Brian Graham					Jamie Walker
Kieran Wright (Jamie Sneddon, HT); Darren Brownlie (Steven Bell, HT); Joe Cardle (Chris Erskine, HT); Brian Graham (Zak Rudden, HT); Richard Foster (Connor Murray, HT); Ross MacIver (Andy Geggan, HT); Ciaran McKenna (Adam Devine, 64 mins); James Penrice (Andy Rodden, 72 mins); Stuart Bannigan (James Lyon, 77 mins); Shea Gordon (Gospel Ocholi, 80 mins)					Jamie Walker (Aidan Denholm, 67 mins); Gervane Kastaneer (Harry Cochrane, 67 mins); Scott McGill (Connor Smith, 67 mins); Elliott Frear (Chris Hamilton, 67 mins); Arron Darge (Callum Flatman, 73 mins)
21y, 11m, 13d			Kieran Wright		Ross Stewart future Jag
22y, 11m, 17d			Ciaran McKenna		Cammy Logan
35y, 7m, 11d			Richard Foster		Aidy White
26y, 11m, 4d			Darren Brownlie		Arron Darge
21y, 5m, 6d			Mouhamed Niang		Peter Haring
22y, 2m, 20d			James Penrice		Christophe Berra
28y, 5m, 25d			Stuart Bannigan		Elliott Frear
22y, 9m, 26d			Shea Gordon		Scott McGill
33y, 3m, 19d			Brian Graham		Euan Henderson
22y, 0m, 14d			Ross MacIver		Jamie Walker
34y, 1m, 7d			Joe Cardle		Gervane Kastaneer
26y, 6m, 13d
23y, 6m, 8d			Jamie Sneddon		Harry Stone future Jag
36y, 0m, 18d			Steven Bell		Chris Hamilton
21y, 1m, 8d			Zak Rudden		Connor Smith
34y, 1m, 6d			Chris Erskine		Harry Cochrane
23y, 10m, 18d			Connor Murray		Callum Flatman
17y, 11m, 17d			Adam Devine		Aidan Denholm
17y, 11m, 5d			Gospel Ocholi
18y, 4m, 15d			James Lyon
19y, 5m, 13d			Andy Rodden
33y, 10m, 6d			Andy Geggan

notes

Both sides generally in playing order. Played closed-doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Match Report

TTA report

78 days later (49 of them without training) this "mid-season pre-season" was open and competitive. Graham put Gordon through to slide the ball past the outrushing keeper (15) but Hearts levelled with a low shot from inside the box (42). A header at a corner proved decisive (58). Niang "scored" (61) but was off-side.

Media report

Ross Pilcher, 14-Mar-2020, Edinburgh Live

Those who didn’t start yesterday’s 2-0 Championship win over Ayr United, along with a handful of youngsters, were given a run out at Firhill as the League One side prepared for their return to action. Aidy White was deployed as a right back with the international ‘break’ in mind, when Hearts will likely be without Michael Smith who’s set to join up with the Northern Ireland squad for their World Cup qualifiers, beginning in Italy. Youngster Cammy Logan, who would have been a natural back up for Smith had he not been on loan at Cove Rangers, was at left back. Peter Haring, currently suspended after his red card against Dundee, continued his return to match fitness is midfield, while yesterday’s second goalscorer Jamie Walker was in from the start as well.

The hosts took the lead after 15 minutes when Brian Graham’s pass picked out the run of Shea Gordon, and he stayed cool to slot the ball beyond Ross Stewart. Four minutes before the break however, Hearts were level. Euan Henderson drove infield from the left hand side and drilled a low shot through a crowd of bodies and into the corner past Kieran right. It was Henderson’s third goal in as many games, having netted a double in the 3-1 bounce game win over Motherwell last week. The visitors took the lead three minutes before the hour when Christophe Berra rose highest to meet a cross from the right ad head home - just over two years and at the same end as his Scottish Cup goal against the same opponents.

Reaction

Partick Thistle manager Ian McCall (speaking to Jagzone):

I thought there was a lot to like about it. I thought in the first half we were excellent. We had three great chances and scored one of them. Shea did really well with his run and it was a good finish into the corner of the net. It’s a dying art the runs he makes and he was unlucky with a couple in the first half of the season but that will do his confidence the wonder of good. There was rustiness and there will be tiredness but we got everyone a bit of game time on the pitch which was the purpose of playing. It was a tough match against players who have been training right through the time we’ve been away. There were a lot of good individual performances in the game today. I thought the front two were lively and worked well. Defensively I thought Darren Brownlie was excellent and Mouhamed Niang had a good game too. We changed things up and used all ten substitutes so that caused the second half to get a bit flat but we needed to get everyone gametime. There is a long, long way to go but it was a good start.

Gallery

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Stats Watch

RECORD GAP

● Thistle are back in action after 78 days, setting the club-record for the longest gap between games in any given season. Previously, the longest gap of 49 days was set in 1884 and equalled in 1978.

● Thistle play a third friendly against Hearts in 2020-21, unheard of in the modern age. In fact, 126 years have passed since we last played three same-season friendlies against the same club side; Linthouse in 1894-95. The club-record (4) remains with Pilgrims in season 1884-85, a unique occurrence.

● 17-year-old Adam Devine plays his one and only game for Thistle.

● 17-year-old Gospel Ocholi makes his Thistle debut.

● 19-year-old Andy Rodden plays his last game for Thistle.

● 22-year-old Ross MacIver makes his Thistle debut.

● 33-year-old Andy Geggan makes his Thistle debut.

● 36-year-old Steven Bell makes his Thistle debut.

● With debutants Andy Geggan and Steven Bell being former Ayr United men, a count-up reveals that, to the best of our current knowledge, Thistle now have 137 player connections with the South Ayrshire side, more than with any other club.

● Gospel Ocholi (almost certainly) becomes the first Nigerian to play for Thistle.

● Nigeria (almost certainly) becomes the 43rd country/territory to birth a Jag.

ongoing sequences:

● 44 consecutive competitive appearances for James Penrice, 7th Sep 2019 to date. (Longest run since: James Penrice - 50 games, 14th Jul 2018 to 20th Jul 2019. 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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