7th May 2024 Airdrieonians 2 Partick Thistle 2 (SPFL Premiership play-off Quarter Final, 1st leg)

Your Archive Needs YOU! Page upload volunteers are urgently required; free time is precious for everyone but if you can spare some then please do get in touch → and play your part in helping to build an Archive for all of Jagskind to use and enjoy! Read more →

matches:2023-24: ← 47game 4849 →

	Rhys McCabe	Kris Doolan	37y, 4m, 26d

		David Mitchell; Harry Milne; Luke McBeth; Aaron Muirhead; Brian Graham; Scott Robinson; Aidan Fitzpatrick
		Ross Stewart; Kieran Ngwenya; Daniel O'Reilly; Stuart Bannigan; Zander MacKenzie; Ricco Diack; Blair Alston

Nikolay Todorov (0-1, 5 mins); Gabby McGill (2-2, 50 mins)		Luke McBeth (1-1, 29 mins); Scott Robinson (2-1, 45 mins)
Charlie Telfer (0-1, 5 mins); Mason Hancock (2-2, 50 mins)		none (1-1, 29 mins); Jack McMillan (2-1, 45 mins)
		Harry Milne; Lewis Neilson

Adam Frizzell (Arron Lyall, 75 mins); Gabby McGill (Lewis McGregor, 78 mins); Nikolay Todorov (Calum Gallagher, 78 mins)		Kerr McInroy (Daniel O'Reilly, 58 mins); Aidan Fitzpatrick (Stuart Bannigan, 82 mins); Scott Robinson (Blair Alston, 88 mins)

	Robbie Hemfrey	David Mitchell	34y, 1m, 3d
	Kanayo Megwa	Jack McMillan	26y, 4m, 19d
	Mason Hancock	Harry Milne	27y, 6m, 8d
	Cammy Ballantyne	Luke McBeth	24y, 7m, 28d
	Callum Fordyce	Aaron Muirhead	33y, 8m, 7d
	Craig Watson	Lewis Neilson	20y, 11m, 22d
	Charlie Telfer	Ben Stanway	19y, 7m, 17d
	Dean McMaster	Kerr McInroy	23y, 8m, 6d
	Adam Frizzell	Brian Graham	36y, 5m, 14d
	Nikolay Todorov	Scott Robinson	32y, 1m, 26d
	Gabby McGill	Aidan Fitzpatrick	23y, 1m, 17d

			27y, 5m, 27d

	David Hutton	Ross Stewart	29y, 0m, 27d
	former Jag Aaron Taylor-Sinclair	Stuart Bannigan	31y, 7m, 20d
	Lewis McGregor	Kieran Ngwenya	21y, 7m, 12d
	Calum Gallagher	Daniel O'Reilly	29y, 0m, 26d
	Murray Aiken	Blair Alston	32y, 1m, 14d
	Elliot Dunlop	Zander MacKenzie	18y, 8m, 9d
	Arron Lyall	Ricco Diack	19y, 0m, 0d
	Chris Donnell	Ché Campbell	17y, 6m, 18d
	Gavin Gallagher	Ceiran Loney	16y, 1m, 24d

notes

Both sides generally in playing order.

TTA report

A fascinating encounter in which both teams wanted to play, each enjoying long spells of domination. A deep cross was turned in at Thistle's back post (5) but McBeth finished off his own surging run with a 30-yard wonderstrike (29) before Robinson nimbly ghosted in to tap Thistle ahead from 2 yards (45). Failure to deal with a low cross across goal (50) meant a share of the spoils, intensity levels tailing off a little towards the end. Thistle happier, but all to play for.

TTA man of the match

LUKE McBETH was the name on everyone's lips at the end of this one, his committment, desire and effectiveness has been inspirational in recent months. His goal-of-the-season contender was positively self-made and came as no surprise to his mates who see him do that often in training.

Media report

07-May-2024, bbc.com

Partick Thistle and Airdrieonians are poised perfectly going into the second leg of their Premiership play-off at Firhill after a thrilling first game ended all-square at Excelsior Stadium. Airdrie deservedly took the lead when Nikolay Todorov outjumped Harry Milne at the back post to put the Diamonds in front after five minutes. But Luke McBeth, in his first season in senior football after signing from Glenafton Athletic last summer, changed the momentum with a magnificent curling strike from 25 yards into the corner of the net - his first goal for the club. Scott Robinson then put the visitors ahead just before the break when he ghosted into the six-yard box unmarked with the attention of Airdrie’s defenders all on Brian Graham.

However Airdrie equalised thanks to a superb counter-attack as Gabby McGill - who popped his shoulder back in during the match - converted Mason Hancock’s tempting low cross on 50 minutes. Home keeper Robbie Hemfrey denied Graham from a few yards out with a superb save and Cammy Ballantyne then produced a tremendous goal-saving block as the Jags pressed for a third. Arron Lyall fired over in the closing stages as Rhys McCabe’s side sought an advantage to take to Firhill on Friday.

Airdrie are going for a second play-off success in a row while Kris Doolan’s side are aiming to go one better than last year, when they hit 19 goals in the Premiership play-offs only to be undone by three Ross County strikes in the last 20 minutes of regulation time of the final and then a penalty shoot-out. Doolan’s side beat Airdrie 4-0 in April and also won 2-1 against their opponents at the start of December. But there were just three points separating them in the final Championship table and Partick will know a difficult game awaits them in the return leg. The winner of the tie will face Raith Rovers in a two-legged tie for the chance to play the team that finishes 11th in the Premiership for a place in next season’s top flight.

Reaction

Partick Thistle manager Kris Doolan:

Away from home a 2-2 draw here is a reasonably good result for us. Ultimately we're in the game and we'll go back to Firhill. First half I thought we played some really good stuff. Second half Airdrie passed the ball and rotated really well. Sometimes you just have to defend well. Luke McBeth has come into the side and really shored things up at the back and everyone can see his physicality. He could go even further in the game.

Airdrieonians player-manager Rhys McCabe:

I was pleased with the second half. We were far too open for my liking in the first half. We controlled the second 45. Overall, it was a fair result. It's going to be about who recovers the best. It'll come down to fine moments. I told the boys before the game we deserved to be here; we were the favourites to be at the bottom end of the table before the season began but we've played good football and showed we deserved to be here.

match hubs

The Thistle Archive

Partick Thistle stats and stories 1876 to date