2nd Jan 2024 Partick Thistle 3 Queen's Park 2 (SPFL Championship - game 19)

matches:2023-24: ← 27game 2829 →

37y, 0m, 22d	Kris Doolan	Paul Nuijten

no changes
no changes

Harry Milne (1-0, 27 mins)‎; Aidan Fitzpatrick (2-1, 48‎ mins); Lewis Neilson (3-1, 85 mins)		Ruari Paton (1-1, 31 mins); Ruari Paton (3-2, 90 mins)
Aidan Fitzpatrick (1-0, 27 mins)‎; Jack McMillan (2-1, 48‎ mins); Kerr McInroy (3-1, 85 mins)		none (1-1, 31 mins); none (3-2, 90 mins)
Lewis Neilson; Steven Lawless; Aaron Muirhead		Jack Spong; Ruari Paton; Will Tizzard

Ben Stanway (Blair Alston, 64 mins); Brian Graham (Tomi Adeloye, 76 mins); Steven Lawless (Scott Robinson, 76 mins); Stuart Bannigan (Luke McBeth, 90+2 mins)		Jack Spong (Lucas McCormick, 77 mins); Jack Turner (Aaron Healy, 85 mins); Lewis Reid (Stuart McKinstry, 85 mins); Zach Mauchin (Will Tizzard, 90 mins)

26y, 3m, 27d	Jamie Sneddon	Calum Ferrie
26y, 0m, 15d	Jack McMillan	Zach Mauchin
27y, 2m, 4d	Harry Milne	Cameron Bruce
20y, 7m, 18d	Lewis Neilson	Alex Bannon
33y, 4m, 3d	Aaron Muirhead	Jack Thomson
31y, 3m, 16d	Stuart Bannigan	Lewis Reid
19y, 3m, 13d	Ben Stanway	Jack Spong
32y, 8m, 21d	Steven Lawless	Louis Longridge
36y, 1m, 10d	Brian Graham	Ruari Paton
23y, 4m, 2d	Kerr McInroy	Dom Thomas
22y, 9m, 13d	Aidan Fitzpatrick	Jack Turner

27y, 2m, 8d

20y, 9m, 28d	Mason McCready	Callan McKenna
23y, 9m, 1d	Wasiri Williams	Tommy Robson former Jag
31y, 9m, 22d	Scott Robinson	Aaron Healy
24y, 3m, 24d	Luke McBeth	Will Tizzard
31y, 9m, 10d	Blair Alston	Stuart McKinstry
21y, 2m, 6d	James Lyon	Alex Fairlie
18y, 4m, 5d	Zander MacKenzie	Ricky Waugh
18y, 7m, 26d	Ricco Diack	Patrick Jarrett
27y, 10m, 16d	Tomi Adeloye	Lucas McCormick

notes

Both sides generally in playing order.

TTA report

A bright start by Queens gradually faded and Thistle went ahead from Milne's header at a Fitzpatrick corner (27) but when Sneddon failed to hold a through ball it was tucked away (31). A volley by Fitzpatrick put Thistle back in front (48) and Neilson's header extended the lead (85). A gem of a free-kick (90) made it look closer that it was. All three goals were at the back post.

TTA man of the match

It was another stylish and powerful performance from LEWIS NEILSON and his strength came into play when he gave himself the best chance to score his first senior goal with a beautifully placed header.

Media report

02-Jan-2024, queensparkfc.co.uk

Ruari Paton grabbed Queen’s Park’s first two goals of the New Year however that was not enough to bring anything back from Firhill with Partick Thistle winning 3-2. Paul Nuijten had the fans guessing before the game as he made three changes to his line-up with Ben McPherson, Tommy Robson and Pat Jarrett not starting. McPherson, who picked up a knock on Saturday, was missing totally and was replaced by Zach Mauchin who was making his first ever start with Cammy Bruce coming in for Robson who has a knock and Lewis Reid replacing Jarrett. Barry Hepburn was not listed amongst the replacements due to illness with Ricky Waugh returning to the first team squad. Defender Reid’s inclusion led to pre-match thoughts that Jack Thomson was being restored to a midfield berth however when the game started with Jack Spong’s kick-off Queen’s were in a 3-5-2 formation with Thomson joining Bannon and Reid in central defence. Mauchin and Bruce were in wing-back roles to complete a very youthful looking rearguard.

The Spiders almost got off to an explosive start with Dom Thomas letting fly with 45 seconds gone from 25 yards with home goalkeeper Jamie Sneddon pushing his effort away with Paton just unable to get on the rebound. The bright start continued with Mauchin showing his desire to get forward on the right flank with his first cut-back blocked and then Thomas had another shot saved from the wing-back’s second charge. Calum Ferrie was involved for the first time on eight minutes as he raced from his goal to clear from Brian Graham with his kick landing high on the Main Stand roof at Firhill. Graham got the better of Ferrie a minute later as he reached a through ball first and lobbed over the shot-stopper however his effort dropped wide. As Thistle threatened again Alex Bannon was well-placed to cut out a dangerous cross after Jack McMillan and Steven Lawless combined with Ferrie pushing a Graham shot wide as Thistle recycled the ball. Thomson dug his side out of a hole with a last-ditch tackle after quarter of an hour after Graham had slipped a pass through to Aidan Fitzpatrick eight yards from Queen’s Park’s goal. Thomas led a charge back up the park on 19 minutes with the skipper’s cross to Paton was headed away at the last minute by Aaron Muirhead.

The visitors won a corner in the next minute however it was the hosts that almost scored from it as a headed clearance ran to the half-way and was picked up by the darting Fitzpatrick who hared in on Ferrie’s goal before chipping wide. Thistle went close again midway through the half when Lawless left two players trailing as he came off the right wing with his curling parting shot flashing just wide. The Jags took the lead in simple fashion on 27 minutes when a Fitzpatrick corner was allowed to travel to the back post where Harry Milne was left unattended and headed in. Four minutes later an equaliser arrived and left everyone a bit stunned as little danger appeared to threaten when Thomson found Thomas who slipped a pass in-between Muirhead and Sneddon with Paton lurking behind the defender. PATON kept his eye on the ball and was perfectly placed to roll it into the empty net from nine yards after Sneddon failed to gather. There was controversy shortly afterwards as Thomas and Paton exchanged passes and the goalscorer looked set to run clear before hauled back by Lewis Neilson who was only yellow carded despite what looked like an unobstructed route to goal. Five minutes from the break Bannon was again in the right place to mop up a home attack on the left with Graham screaming for a cross. A minute later it was Queen’s turn to create danger as Spong flicked a pass forward to Jack Turner who drew Sneddon from his line however his chipped shot went over.

The hosts won a corner within a minute of the restart with Mauchin moving sharply across the box to head clear however on 49 minutes Queen’s fell behind for a second time. A chipped cross to the back post from McMillan found Fitzpatrick and he sent a volley flashing past Ferrie from close range. Thistle looked to kill the game off as soon as possible and a fierce Ben Stanway drive was deflected just a couple of feet wide. The first attack from Queen’s after the resumption came on 53 minutes when Spong found Bruce on the left with a diagonal pass with the teenager slipping the ball to Paton who shaped to shoot before finding Turner who had an effort charged down. Mauchin did well on 55 minutes when he charged on the right once more and whipped over a dangerous cross that went unconverted with the full back repeating the act four minutes later with unfortunately the same result. Paton gained possession some 30 yards out and hared towards Sneddon’s goal however he delayed and shooting and that allowed a covering defender to block his drive. With 20 minutes left Paton cut the ball back to Longridge some 25 yards out however the midfielder failed to control the ball and the chance of a drive towards Sneddon’s goal was gone with another opportunity passed up on 75 minutes when Paton mishit a pass to an unmarked Thomas. Lucas McCormick won a corner within a minute of coming on for Spong with Thomson sending Turner’s dead ball looping across Sneddon’s goal however the Thistle goal survived. On 84 minutes Thistle threatened when the ball was worked to Blair Alston at the edge of the box with Ferrie sticking out a boot to keep the ball out. There was nothing Ferrie could do in the following minute when Neilson was all alone at a Kerr McInroy corner and headed in to make it 3-1. Muirhead thumped McCormick to the ground with 90 seconds left to give Queen’s a free-kick 21 yards out with PATON sending a cracking shot flashing into the net.

Reaction

On Jagzone, Michael Max put it to Kris that the performance was a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly:

Yeah, of course, whatever way you get points, it's what you have to do. It's difficult conditions - we get that - although it's the same for both teams. The game does get a bit scrappy at times, but I felt as if we still tried to play in our style to the best of our ability. Any goal is preventable and you always look back at what we could have done better. Jamie's put his hands up, obviously it's a mistake to spill the ball and then Aero wipes out their player on the edge of the box. It's about trying to learn from it and move on but there's got to be a reaction. You've got to go and get on top of them and get after them and thankfully we start the second half just like that and Fitzpatrick scores an absolutely brilliant goal as well. Like I say, whatever way you manage to get three points you find a way to win and thankfully we done that today.

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