The Thistle Archive

Jordan Carlisle, 23-Oct-2021, nottheoldfirm.com

On the 50th anniversary of their famous League Cup triumph, Partick Thistle drew 0-0 with Dunfermline Athletic at Firhill. The game started slowly and was only jolted into life in the 19th minute when Scott Tiffoney forced a save from Owain Fon Williams with an effort from distance. The hosts were the better side for the remainder of the half but weren’t able to test Williams again and the score remained 0-0 at the interval.

Thistle started the second period full of intent, with Kevin Holt and Brian Graham both going close before Williams produced a stunning one-handed stop to keep out Ross Docherty’s curling shot from 25 yards. The visitors had their first genuinely promising spell in the lead-up to the hour mark and Craig Wighton almost broke the deadlock, curling an effort from the edge of the area just wide of the top corner with Jamie Sneddon rooted to the spot. Wighton would have the best chance of the game around ten minutes later but he could only fire straight at Sneddon when clean through on goal. The hosts had a big chance to win it in the final minute when Tiffoney released substitute Jake Hastie in behind, but he lost control of the ball under pressure from a defender and the points were shared, much to the frustration of the majority of the 3,333 fans inside Firhill. Three things we learned:

Thistle trying to play an attacking brand of football: Thistle have been free-scoring of late and manager Ian McCall is certainly giving his team every chance of hurting opponents with his tactics. Selecting two strikers, picking creative players on both flanks and giving the full-backs license to get forward means they tend to create plenty of opportunities. However, there wasn’t enough quality in the final third in this fixture and after a strong start to the second half, they lost their way, allowing a winnable game to peter out into a draw.

Tiffoney the standout: Tiffoney was a standout player in League One after joining on loan from Livingston during the second half of last season and he’s now shining in the second tier after signing on a permanent deal in the summer. After a dull opening period, it was the winger who sparked the game into life with a strong run and shot and he continued to cause the Dunfermline defence problems for the remainder of the half. The 23-year-old wasn’t quite as lively after the break, but he still looked the player most likely to create something and he almost set up a late winner with a brilliant swivel and ball in behind to release Hastie. Jags skipper Docherty also had a strong game, but Tiffoney was deserving of his Man of the Match award.

Pars struggling to create: Peter Grant’s side had only scored three goals in their previous five Championship matches and their attacking woes continued here. Despite starting with two up top, they created little of note in the first half, with their only real openings coming from defensive lapses. Wighton had the best chance of the game midway through the second period but he didn’t show enough conviction when through on the keeper. Still rooted to the bottom of the table, they need to find a way to score goals and win games, and they need to do it quickly.

Partick Thistle manager Ian McCall, via ptfc.co.uk

I didn’t think we really hit the levels of the last couple of games to be completely honest but we still dominated most of the game. We lacked something in the final third; the crossing was poor and we were slack with passes but it still felt like one we could have just nicked. They came here and seemed to be playing for a point, certainly in the first half, but we could have done more to break them down. Scott Tiffoney had a couple of moments where he looked like he was going to break through but they always closed the gaps pretty quickly and they were throwing their bodies on the line to make blocks. Tunji was excellent today apart from one moment where he gave the ball away in our box but then Jamie Sneddon steps up and makes a huge save. It was great to see Jamie make that save. He made some mistakes earlier in the season and I’ve spoken to him about that but recently he’s been more consistent. He came and caught a few difficult crosses as well in that second half so we’re just hoping he continues at his current level.

Option 1: extended highlights

Dunfermline Athletic FC

Option 2: fans-eye view of some key Thistle action:

A Thistle Archive production.

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