26th Nov 2022 Partick Thistle 3 Kelty Hearts 0 (Scottish Cup 3rd Round)

matches:2022-23: ← 26game 2728 →

58y, 1m, 27d	Ian McCall	John Potter

Stuart Bannigan; Ross Docherty
Lee Hodson; Aidan Fitzpatrick

Brian Graham (1-0, 7 mins); Anton Dowds (2-0, 58 mins); Tony Weston (3-0, 79 mins)
Kyle Turner (1-0, 7 mins); Jack McMillan (2-0, 58 mins); Cammy Smith (3-0, 79 mins)
Stuart Bannigan; Brian Graham		Kallum Higginbotham; Tam O'Ware; Jamie Barjonas
Ross Docherty (@ 1-0, 38 mins)		Joe Cardle (@ 1-0, 38 mins)
Steven Lawless (Lee Hodson, HT); Brian Graham (Anton Dowds, HT); Cole McKinnon (Cammy Smith, 56 mins); Harry Milne (James Lyon, 66 mins); Anton Dowds (Tony Weston, 73 mins); Stuart Bannigan (Tunji Akinola, 82 mins)		Reis Peggie (Nathan Austin, 66 mins); Michael Tidser (Nicky Low, 66 mins); Alfredo Agyeman (Kyle Doherty, 78 mins); Darren Lyon (Scott McGill, 80 mins)

25y, 2m, 20d	Jamie Sneddon	Liam Campbell
24y, 11m, 8d	Jack McMillan	Lewis Martin
26y, 0m, 28d	Harry Milne	Reis Peggie
28y, 7m, 16d	Darren Brownlie	Tam O'Ware former Jag
32y, 2m, 27d	Aaron Muirhead	Jordan Forster
30y, 2m, 9d	Stuart Bannigan	Michael Tidser
29y, 10m, 3d	Ross Docherty	Jamie Barjonas former Jag
19y, 9m, 28d	Cole McKinnon	Joe Cardle former Jag
35y, 0m, 3d	Brian Graham	Alfredo Agyeman
25y, 0m, 16d	Kyle Turner	Kallum Higginbotham former Jag
31y, 7m, 14d	Steven Lawless	Darren Lyon

28y, 0m, 21d

32y, 7m, 22d	David Mitchell	Darren Jamieson
26y, 0m, 7d	Anton Dowds	Cammy Logan
27y, 3m, 2d	Cammy Smith	Nicky Low
31y, 1m, 24d	Lee Hodson	Nathan Austin
19y, 2m, 9d	Tony Weston	Robbie McNab
24y, 0m, 5d	Tunji Akinola	Scott McGill
27y, 8m, 25d	Danny Mullen	Scott Cameron
21y, 8m, 6d	Aidan Fitzpatrick	Miguel Kamgna
20y, 0m, 30d	James Lyon	Kyle Doherty former Jag

notes

Both sides generally in playing order.

TTA report

A feisty affair with Docherty and ex-JAG Cardle sent off (38). Two back heels at a low corner put Thistle ahead (Graham, 7). Dowds latched on to a through ball to fire home from 12 yards (58) then Lyon hit the post. Kelty rattled the bar with a thunderous free-kick then Weston scored (almost identical to Dowds, 79). Comfortable win.

Media report

Lewis Anderson, 26-Nov-2022, Glasgow World

Partick Thistle advanced safely into the Scottish Cup fourth round draw after breezing past Kelty Hearts 3-0 in front of an all-time low attendance of under 1,500 at Firhill. A large group of around 100 supporters decided to boycott the match in protest amid the ongoing fan ownership dispute which continues to rumble on behind the scenes at the Championship club. Fans gathered at the canal bridge outside the John Lambie Stand before making their way down past the stadium to vent their anger towards the club’s board and PTFC Trust before kick-off and carried on their protests from afar after the final whistle. Goals from Brian Graham, Anton Dowds and Tony Weston on the park booked Thistle’s spot in the last 32 of the competition, with both sides playing out the second half with ten men after Jags skipper Ross Docherty and former Thistle player Joe Cardle were sent off by referee Craig Napier following a heated altercation.

The visitors arrived at Firhill aiming to spring a cup upset after reaching the last-16 of the competition for the first time in their history last season. Their starting line-up included four ex-Jags players with Cardle, Kallum Higginbotham, Jamie Barjonas and Thomas O’Ware all facing their former side. It took the visitors a while to settle into the tie and they conceded an early goal after just seven minutes. Kyle Turner’s low cross from the left was flicked home at the front post by the unmarked Brian Graham who was allowed to wriggle free of his marker far too easily. The Fifers eventually managed to test Jags goalkeeper Jamie Sneddon on 21 minutes when Alfredo Agyeman latched onto Reis Peggie’s through ball, but the striker’s effort was comfortably held by Thistle’s No.1. Tempers flared after 38 minues when Cardle was involved in a stramash with Docherty and Stevie Lawless. Both Thistle players reacting angrily towards the 35-year-old’s challenge on Docherty and a melee ensued before referee Napier brandished straight red cards but failed to caution Lawless for his involvement in the incident. Moments later, Brian Graham came to blows with O’Ware on the halfway line after exchanging words following another aggressive challenge but this time Napier allowed both players to escape with just a booking.

The second half sparked into life just shy of the hour mark when Kelty Hearts midfielder Barjonas flashed a long-range attempt narrowly wide of Sneddon’s right-hand post. Thistle responded by breaking up the park and half-time substitute Anton Dowds outpaced O’Ware before firing low into the net from 12 yards out. Youngster James Lyon then rattled the frame of the post with a powerful strike. John Potter’s side had a mountain to climb but they almost pulled a goal back through Nicky Low’s thunderous 30-yard free-kick which cracked off the underside of the crossbar with Sneddon beaten. Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson, who has spent the week in London speaking to potential candidates to become the club’s next manager, was an interested spectator as he cast his eyes over two Gers loanees Cole McKinnon and Tony Weston. The latter stepped off the bench to replace Dowds, who was forced off after sustaining a head knock, and Wilson will have been impressed by the youngster’s impact. Within six minutes of entering the fray, Weston coolly slotted past visiting keeper Liam Campbell into the bottom corner after being slipped through one-on-one by Cammy Smith to kill off the tie. Smith almost got on the scoresheet himself minutes later after pouncing on an error from Campbell but the former Aberdeen youth star fluffed his lines from close range with the goal at his mercy as Jordan Forster hooked the ball clear to safety.

Reaction

Partick Thistle manager Ian McCall (speaking to the Glasgow World):

The bottom line is that we won the game and we’re into the next round. We were the better team in the first half but didn’t really create much. I thought we improved in the second half and there was a lot of pace when the subs came on. We looked a real threat, we created chances and their only attempt was when the boy (Nicky) Low hit the bar with an unbelievable free-kick. It was a comfortable win but it didn’t really feel like it during the game. We’ve been on a bad run and have now won our last two games, scored six goals and conceded none. I was pleased with the way the players focused on the game. We couldn’t really see or hear the people who were up there (protesting). It was strange not having the atmosphere. I’ve looked at the red card back and I felt it was really soft. I’ll speak to Gerry Britton and we will decide whether to appeal it. It didn’t look like an out and out stamp. I hate to say it but he (Joe Cardle) was a little bit high with a tackle and went over the ball. They could both have been booked and we could have got on with it. I see Drumchapel United also won - I used to take their training when I was out of the game. I would take anyone in the next round and I’d love Drumchapel, just to see wee John Black (chairman).

RECORD LOW ATTENDANCE

● Thistle's 131st Scottish Cup campaign gets underway.

● Kelty Hearts become the 147th club to meet Partick Thistle in competitive action, more than matching Partick Thistle's history of 145 competition seasons!

● Joe Cardle is the first 'former Jag' to be sent-off against Thistle since Eddie Forrest (Forfar Athletic) saw red exactly 17 years to the day.

● After going almost 2 years without a red card in the League, Thistle have suffered four in six weeks. It's only the second time in history we've had Jagsmen ordered off in 3 separate games in the same month. November 2022 (Muirhead, Akinola & Docherty) now sits alongside October 1994 (Craig, Charnley & Grant).

● Referee Craig Napier has sent off a Jagsman in each of his last two Thistle games; Muirhead (5th November 2022) & Docherty (26th November 2022).

● Thistle play a 10 v 10 game for the first time in 10 years. The last occurrence was also a Scottish Cup tie at Firhill, namely a 1-0 loss v Dunfermline on 1st December 2012 when Aaron Muirhead and Andy Barrowman saw red.

● Thistle play a full second half 10 v 10 since almost an hour was played without Pat Keogh (Thistle) & Richard Offiong (Hamilton) in March 2007.

● 5 former Jags play against Thistle for the first time since February 2019, when a similar number did so as Dunfermline Athletic players.

● Brian Graham's 40th competitive goal moves him one place above Steven Lawless in that chart. The 'Top 50' target is Gerry Britton who registered 43.

● Jack McMillan registers his 8th assist of the season. In the latest 10 seasons of competitive action, only Kyle Turner (10, 2021-22) and Kallum Higginbotham (11, 2013-14) have set up more goals for Thistle in any given season.

● Tony Weston scores his only goal for Thistle.

● Tony Weston becomes the 16th Thistle scorer in 2022-23 competitive action, a tally which is now two beyond last season's spread of 14.

● A little bit of history is made as Thistle make 6 substitutions for the first time ever in a 'Major Competitive' match. It matches the 'Competitive' record (6) which was set on 21st July 2012 when a Celtic XI was defeated by 2 goals to nil in the ARR Craib Cup Semi Final.

● It's very unusual to see a player come on, score, and then be subbed off, but that's what happened to Anton Dowds, with his last goal for the club. Surprisingly, he's the third Jag to experience this sequence in competitive action, following on from Scott Houston (2-2 vs. East Fife in April 1999) and David McCallum (5-3 vs. Raith Rovers, August 2001).

● For the second consecutive competitive game, Thistle register a 3-goal winning margin, a stat last seen in March 2013 when a 6-1 win over Livingston was followed by a 3-0 at Cowdenbeath. The club-record (5-in-a-row) was set in December 1899.

● 22-year-old Tunji Akinola plays his last game for Thistle.

● With many fans boycotting in protest at the way fan ownership has been handled by the club, the attendance of 1,484 was an all-time low for a Partick Thistle Scottish Cup tie at Firhill. The previous record-low (1,818) was set in November 2005, a 1-1 draw at home to Albion Rovers.

ongoing sequences:

● 24 consecutive competitive appearances for Jack McMillan, 9th Jul 2022 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Kevin Holt - 26 games, 1st Mar 2022 to 17th Sep 2022. 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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