27th Jan 2024 Airdrieonians 1 Partick Thistle 1 (SPFL Championship - game 22)

matches:2023-24: ← 31game 3233 →

	Rhys McCabe	Kris Doolan	37y, 1m, 16d

		Tomi Adeloye
		Brian Graham

Craig Watson (0-1, 37 mins)		Tomi Adeloye (1-1, 41 mins)
none (0-1, 37 mins)		Jack McMillan (1-1, 41 mins)
Lewis McGregor; Adam Frizzell		Scott Robinson; Steven Lawless; Stuart Bannigan

Lewis McGregor (Josh O'Connor, 68 mins); Liam McStravick (Arron Lyall, 68 mins)		Scott Robinson (Luke McBeth, 55 mins); Kerr McInroy (Ben Stanway, 64 mins); Aidan Fitzpatrick (Ricco Diack, 80 mins); Steven Lawless (Zander MacKenzie, 80 mins); Stuart Bannigan (Blair Alston, 80 mins)

	Josh Rae	Jamie Sneddon	26y, 4m, 21d
	Craig Watson	Jack McMillan	26y, 1m, 9d
	Mason Hancock	Harry Milne	27y, 2m, 29d
	Rhys McCabe	Lewis Neilson	20y, 8m, 12d
	Callum Fordyce	Aaron Muirhead	33y, 4m, 28d
	Dean McMaster	Stuart Bannigan	31y, 4m, 10d
	Charlie Telfer	Kerr McInroy	23y, 4m, 27d
	Liam McStravick	Steven Lawless	32y, 9m, 15d
	Nikolay Todorov	Tomi Adeloye	27y, 11m, 10d
	Adam Frizzell	Scott Robinson	31y, 10m, 16d
	Lewis McGregor	Aidan Fitzpatrick	22y, 10m, 7d

			27y, 7m, 23d

	David Hutton	Ross Stewart	28y, 9m, 17d
	former Jag Aaron Taylor-Sinclair	Wasiri Williams	23y, 9m, 26d
	Josh O'Connor	Luke McBeth	24y, 4m, 18d
	Elliot Dunlop	Blair Alston	31y, 10m, 4d
	Arron Lyall	Daniel O'Reilly	28y, 9m, 16d
	Cameron Rowley	Ben Stanway	19y, 4m, 7d
	Gavin Gallagher	James Lyon	21y, 3m, 0d
	Joe Cassidy	Zander MacKenzie	18y, 4m, 30d
	Alasdair Spalding	Ricco Diack	18y, 8m, 20d

notes

Both sides generally in playing order.
First impressions were 'no assist' for Thistle's goal, but it's on the edge between an allowed tussle and a forbidden rebound, with Tomi Adeloye having two shooting attempts at it, the first being thwarted by the backside of the Airdrie player lying on the ground right in front of him, meaning the ball initially made no progress towards goal whatsover. Ultimately, we're swayed by OPTA and the network awarding the assist to Jack McMillan and we therefore 'go with the flow' on this one.

TTA report

Thistle had most of the play and chances but it was Airdrie who went ahead when a corner led to a clearance off the line and was shot home (37). McMillan set up Adeloye who danced past a defender and fired home the leveller (41). Airdrie had the best of the second half but good defending kept them out. A last-gasp tackle robbed Alston (87). A draw was fair.

TTA man of the match

It was another classy performance from young LEWIS NEILSON, solid in the block and always assured when playing out from the back.

Media report

Paul Thomson, 27-Jan-2024, Daily Record

Airdrie slipped to fifth in the Championship despite making it five games unbeaten in the division with a draw at home to Partick Thistle. Craig Watson fired home from close range in 37 minutes to put the Diamonds in front but Tomi Adeloye's fine finish just five minutes later ensured a point apiece for two teams who both served up Scottish Cup scalps of Premiership sides last week. The clash saw fourth host third at the start of the day, but Morton's win at home to rock bottom Arbroath means the have climbed into the final play-off spot in fourth, sitting a point clear of the Diamonds. Airdrie made one change from last week’s win over St Johnstone as Lewis McGregor came in and Gabby McGill dropped out. The Jags had a couple of familiar faces in their squad with ex-Diamond Kerr McInroy starting in the midfielder and Ben Stanway, who was on loan at New Broomfield last season, taking his place on the bench. Doolan's side were also dealt a blow before kick-off as star striker Brian Graham missed out through illness.

A bit of a nervy start from the hosts saw Callum Fordyce overhit a back pass to goalkeeper Josh Rae, which went behind the Diamonds No.1 and forced him to race back towards the open goal to clear the danger. The Jags started brightest and they got the first sniff at goal in the ninth minute. Harry Milne's cross to the back post was headed up in the air by Tomi Adeloye, who then got on the end of his own assist to flash a shot wide of the far post from 10 yards. Moments later, Dean McMaster was dispossed just inside his own half and the a through ball put Aidan Fitzpatrick in one-on-one with Rae. The Airdrie man reacted well though to dive at his feet and block the attempt to round him for a simple finish. Partick piled on the pressure and in 14 minutes Callum Fordyce deflected an Adeloye strike millimetres past the post from the edge of the box.

It took the Diamonds half an hour to get a clear sight at goal and in-form Nikolay Todorov was the man the chance fell to. Good work down the left saw Adam Frizzell feed Mason Hancock. He crossed to the back post for McGregor and when he diverted the ball back across the face of goal, Todorov headed over the top from eight yards. Seven minutes later though Airdrie did find the net with the game's opening goal. Frizzell swung in a corner and Fordyce saw his bullet header cleared off the line, however Watson was on hand to bury the rebound and bag his third goal of the season. Airdrie's lead lasted just five minutes as Partick found a quick equaliser. Jack McMillan's cross from the right found the ever-dangerous Adeloye, who kept his cool to dance past Rae in the box and slot home from six-yards.

Ten minutes into the second half, a maurauding run from Frizzell saw him get to the edge of the Partick box but he couldn't keep his sizzling strike on target. The Diamonds made a double switch in 68 minutes to try and find a spark, as Josh O'Connor and new signing Aaron Lyall were introduced for McGregor and McStravick. Within a few minutes, Hancock's cross into the box found O'Connor for his first chance. However, the Hibs loanee headed off target under pressure. O'Connor got another sniff in 77 minutes when Frizzell fired a cross into the six-yard box and only Lewis Neilson's timely intervention prevented him from a certain goal inside the six-yard box. From the resulting corner, a scramble in the box almost led to Todorov slotting home from close range before his blocked effort came out to Telfer, who saw his cross-cun-shot tipped over the bar by Jamie Sneddon in the Jags goal. In 87 minutes substitute Blair Alston looked like he would have a huge chance to win it for Partick when he pounced on a slip at the back and raced towards goal, only for Fordyce to make a great receovering sprint and get a vital challenge in to thwart him.

Reaction

Partick Thistle manager Kris Doolan (speaking to Jagzone):

To lose a goal from a set play is disappointing, but the response after that was good. I thought it was a fantastic goal from Tomi Adeloye, a well worked goal. It was a great ball from Kerr and then a rolled pass across from Jack, but great feet from Tomi to get the goal. And that gave us the impetus going into half-time that we were finishing the stronger. It was probably a good point, but we came to win. In large parts of the game I felt that we were better, but they showed they're a threat. We got up after them at the right times, in the right areas, without over-committing and I felt that our shape in that regard was much better than the last time we were here. Disappointed we never got the three points, but we put another point on the board and we're unbeaten in the month of January, so these are the positives we'll take.

match hubs

match

The Thistle Archive

Partick Thistle stats and stories 1876 to date