3rd May 2022 Partick Thistle 1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2 (SPFL Premiership play-off Quarter Final, 1st leg)

matches:2021-22: ← 48game 4950 →

Match Information

57y, 7m, 3d			Ian McCall		Billy Dodds former Jag
Stephen Hendrie; Kevin Holt; Stuart Bannigan; Brian Graham; Scott Tiffoney
Richard Foster; Lewis Mayo; Kyle Turner; Cammy Smith; Kyle McAllister
Robbie Crawford (1-0, 54‎ mins)					Shane Sutherland (1-1, 71 mins); Austin Samuels (1-2, 82‎ mins)
Brian Graham (1-0, 54‎ mins)					none (1-1, 71 mins); Shane Sutherland (1-2, 82‎ mins)
Stephen Hendrie; Brian Graham					Logan Chalmers; Austin Samuels
Alex Jakubiak (Juan Alegría, 74 mins); Brian Graham (Cammy Smith, 86 mins)					Tom Walsh (Lewis Hyde, 19 mins); Lewis Hyde (Austin Samuels, 60 mins); Billy Mckay (Joe Hardy, 75 mins); Logan Chalmers (Cameron Harper, 75 mins)
24y, 7m, 27d			Jamie Sneddon		Mark Ridgers former Jag
24y, 1m, 8d			Ciaran McKenna		David Carson
27y, 3m, 25d			Stephen Hendrie		Robbie Deas
23y, 5m, 12d			Tunji Akinola		Danny Devine former Jag
29y, 3m, 8d			Kevin Holt		Kirk Broadfoot
29y, 7m, 16d			Stuart Bannigan		Sean Welsh former Jag
29y, 3m, 10d			Ross Docherty		Reece McAlear
27y, 10m, 11d			Robbie Crawford		Shane Sutherland
34y, 5m, 10d			Brian Graham		Billy Mckay
25y, 8m, 6d			Alex Jakubiak		Tom Walsh
23y, 8m, 7d			Scott Tiffoney		Logan Chalmers future Jag
27y, 2m, 19d
25y, 7m, 7d			Andy Firth		Cammy Mackay
36y, 9m, 2d			Richard Foster		Cameron Harper
26y, 8m, 9d			Cammy Smith		Scott Allardice
37y, 2m, 9d			Steven Bell		Joe Hardy
25y, 0m, 9d			Connor Murray		Austin Samuels
19y, 10m, 27d			Juan Alegría		Lewis Hyde
17y, 7m, 13d			Ben Stanway

notes

Both sides generally in playing order. Thistle filled 7 of their 9 allocated bench slots, whilst Inverness filled only 6 of theirs.

Match Report

TTA report

The teams were evenly matched but 2 mistakes cost Thistle the win. Graham's lovely reverse pass let in Crawford from 18 yards (51) but when Sneddon spilled a 20-yarder the ball was touched in (71). Alegria pounced on a pass-back but his 1-on-1 with the keeper was skied. A poor pass led to a sweeping move and the cross was touched in (82).

Media report

Thomas Duncan, 03-May-2022, bbc.com

Inverness Caledonian Thistle will take a slender lead into the second leg of the Scottish Premiership play-off quarter-final after Shane Sutherland inspired a comeback win against Partick Thistle. Sutherland pounced to equalise after Billy Mckay's shot was spilled, and then put in a brilliant cross for Austin Samuels to tap home the winner with eight minutes left. Robbie Crawford had put Partick Thistle in front but it is Inverness who are in pole position to face Arbroath next.

Ian McCall's side seemed in the ascendancy after Brian Graham's slick reverse pass teed up Crawford to fire home his first goal for four years after 54 minutes, but in-form Caley Thistle turned the tide. Having struggled to trouble goalkeeper Jamie Sneddon for the first 69 minutes, Mckay's shot from the edge of the box forced an error and Sutherland - who got the benefit of a marginal offside call - followed in to level. In an end-to-end match, the home side had a huge chance to take the lead when substitute Juan Alegria latched on to a terrible back pass from Inverness defender David Carson, but the Rangers loanee fired over the bar.

It proved to be a costly miss as Inverness - who finished one place above their opponents in the regular season - soon went up the other end of the pitch, where Sutherland floated in an inch-perfect cross for Samuels to side-foot beyond Sneddon. The tie remains finely poised with the return in Inverness to come on Friday, but Billy Dodds' side hold the momentum as well as the scoreline advantage after an impressive turnaround.

Reaction

Partick Thistle manager Ian McCall (speaking to the BBC):

I felt we edged it. It's tough out there. We took the lead, and the goalie's got to do better with the goal it's that simple. And he knows that. And then Juan misses the best chance of the game. In a game of this magnitude, that's a big moment. And then our captain [Ross] Docherty, who was outstanding, made a mistake. We made two mistakes and got punished for them. We're a bit gutted but the tie is most certainly not over.

Inverness CT manager Billy Dodds (speaking to the BBC):

I thought it was an even game to be honest. They had a chance to go 2-1 up, we take our chances. First half was pretty even as well. I'd have taken a draw but I love the win. It's only half way there though. Thistle are going to come to Inverness on Friday and have a go and hopefully we can pick them off at the right times and have the tie killed off.

Scrapbook

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The Sun, 4th May, 2022

Gallery

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Video Highlights

(credit: SPFL )

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Stats Watch

BAD OMENS

● PTFC were the first Scottish club to finish 4th and be promoted via the play-offs, doing so in May, 2006. Another first is required this week; 7 times out of 7, the 3rd place team has eliminated the 4th place team in the Premiership play-offs.

● 24-year-old Ciaran McKenna plays his last game for Thistle.

● Robbie Crawford scores his first goal for Thistle.

● It's now over SEVEN MONTHS since Thistle scored twice at Firhill, a truly pitiful and unprecedented streak.

● Yet again, Thistle fail to win a home League play-off match. There have now been 6 attempts, 1898 to date.

ongoing sequences:

● 1 goal or less in 16 consecutive competitive games. (Longest run since the club-record: 18 games, 20th Sep 1995 to 9th Jan 1996.)

● 1 goal or less in 18 consecutive competitive home games, an extension of the club-record.

● 39 consecutive competitive appearances for Jamie Sneddon, 28th Aug 2021 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Stuart Bannigan - 39 games, 30th Nov 2019 to 20th Apr 2021. 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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