19th Apr 2025 Dunfermline Athletic 0 Partick Thistle 0 (SPFL Championship - game 34)

matches:2024-25: ← 40game 4142 →

	Neil Lennon	Brian Graham	37y, 4m, 27d
		Mark Wilson	40y, 10m, 14d

		David Mitchell; Sean Kelly; Steven Lawless
		Lewis Budinauckas; Kyle Turner; Logan Chalmers



Chris Kane; Kyle Benedictus		Aidan Fitzpatrick

Matty Todd (Ephraim Yeboah, 58 mins); Chris Kane (David Wotherspoon, 58 mins); Aaron Comrie (Kane Ritchie-Hosler, 79 mins); Michael O'Halloran (Victor Wanyama, 79 mins); Craig Clay (Josh Cooper, 79 mins)		Ben Stanway (Kyle Turner, 66 mins); Steven Lawless (Terry Ablade, 76 mins)

	Tobi Oluwayemi	David Mitchell	35y, 0m, 15d
	Aaron Comrie	Kanayo Megwa	21y, 1m, 14d
	Ewan Otoo	Daniel O'Reilly	30y, 0m, 8d
	Tommy Fogarty	Luke McBeth	25y, 7m, 10d
	Kyle Benedictus	Lee Ashcroft	31y, 7m, 21d
	Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen	Sean Kelly	31y, 5m, 18d
	Chris Hamilton	Ben Stanway	20y, 6m, 30d
	Craig Clay	Robbie Crawford	30y, 9m, 28d
	Matty Todd	Brian Graham	37y, 4m, 27d
	Chris Kane	Steven Lawless	34y, 0m, 7d
	Michael O'Halloran	Aidan Fitzpatrick	24y, 0m, 30d

			29y, 3m, 2d

	Deniz Mehmet	Lewis Budinauckas	22y, 10m, 0d
	n-a	Luis Cameron	18y, 0m, 9d
	Kane Ritchie-Hosler	Josh Reid	22y, 11m, 16d
	Andre Raymond	Kyle Turner	27y, 5m, 9d
	David Wotherspoon	Terry Ablade	23y, 6m, 7d
	Josh Cooper	Zander MacKenzie	19y, 7m, 22d
	Ephraim Yeboah	Matthew Falconer	18y, 1m, 27d
	Tashan Oakley-Boothe	Nick Lockhart	18y, 0m, 0d
	Owen Hampson	Liam Rooney	16y, 9m, 3d
	Victor Wanyama

notes

Both sides generally in playing order.
Thistle listed 2 sub goalies.

TTA report

8th v 4th. Thistle had twice as many attempts on target as Dunfermline (ie, 2). There was little to enthuse over. Fitzpatrick went close but failed to finish his 1-on-1 with the keeper and Graham hit the bar from close in. Thistle's 4th spot lead was reduced to a GD of +3. Remaining fixtures against 1st and 2nd suggested a play-off spot unlikely.

TTA man of the match

It was another solid performance from LEE ASHCROFT, putting his head where it hurts, losing his head-band, and very much playing a key role in keeping Dunfermline at bay, especially in the first half.

Media report

David Forrest, 19-Apr-2025, ptfc.co.uk

It was not a Titanic tussle at East End Park on Saturday as Partick Thistle and Dunfermline Athletic contested a goalless draw in the William Hill Scottish Championship. Thistle came into the fixture still in the final play-offs spot, knowing a win could see them go five points clear of Raith Rovers going into our double header against the league’s top two sides. Hamilton Accies’ 15 point deduction on Thursday meant that anything other than a win for Airdrie at home Morton today would ensure the Pars’ Championship status for another season. David Mitchell came in for Kevin Budinauckas in goals, Sean Kelly replaced Kyle Turner and Stevie Lawless came in for Logan Chalmers, who had failed to shake off a slight knock, as The Jags reverted to a back three following the 2-1 loss to Hamilton at Firhill last Saturday.

It was Dunfermline who made the brighter start with Marty Todd heading narrowly wide as Neil Lennon’s side had the first real chance of the game on three minutes. Despite travelling to East End Park on Wrestlemania weekend for a second consecutive year, the first half produced little in the way of blood and thunder as the teams settled into a groove with Dunfermline having the majority of the ball. The Pars peppered Mitchell’s goal early on however they produced minimal threat while Thistle struggled to get up the park. On the rare occasions where Thistle got themselves forward, it was Aidan Fitzpatrick who was the catalyst. Fitzy controlled the ball well, but the Jags were unable to create anything dangerous in the first half hour. On 28 minutes, a Chris Hamilton cross saw a malfunction at the junction as Lee Ashcroft and Mitchell got caught in each other’s paths, but Mitchell was able to scoop up the ball and kill the threat. The final fifteen minutes of the half saw Thistle finally gain control in the opposite half. Fitzpatrick found himself clean through on, but Pars keeper Toby Oluwayemi got himself to Fitzpatrick’s low shot with a nice block. Oluwayemi would be called into action again just before halftime, after a Lawless free kick was headed to Kelly in space by a diving Luke McBeth. The Pars keeper pulled off a good save to ensure the sides went down the tunnel level.

When the game resumed, it was the Jags who went on the offensive. Eight minutes into the half, Megwa cut through the Dunfermline back line to launch a cross across the box. O’Reilly got himself to it but was not able to get a shot off in time. On 63 minutes, carnage ensued in the Dunfermline box after Brian Graham’s rattled the bar. Despite multiple attempts to bundle the ball home, Thistle were unable to take the lead as Dunfermline survived a scare with Oluwayemi’s diving save from Lawless was biggest threat. Ten minutes later, the home side found themselves in yet more danger. Oluwayemi came a long way out of his box to clear a ball, getting himself into trouble in the process. Despite the Dunfermline net being unmanned, the Jags could not get the ball goalwards. The game fizzled out from although David Wotherspoon had two late chances to grab the points for the Fife side, but Mitchell was able to keep both efforts out as it ended goalless.

A late flurry of three goals in three minutes against Falkirk saw play-off rivals Raith Rovers draw level on points with two games to go and Thistle holding a superior goal difference. Airdrie’s loss to Morton confirms the Pars will remain in the second tier next season. Thistle return to action on Friday night, when they host league leaders Falkirk under the lights at the Wyre Stadium at Firhill.

Reaction

Partick Thistle interim co-manager Mark Wilson (speaking to Jagzone):

The boys need to take great credit. We came here with a gameplan and we knew how hard it was going to be, especially on this surface. A lot of grass pitches are like that at this time of the season and both teams need to deal with it, so we understood what the game was going to be like, and the boys carried out the plan almost to a T. We restricted them to one effort on goal and we created the better chances within the game and if we take one of them we win it one nil, and that's enough. We're still in a good position; there's nothing we can do about other results. We're right there in the mix and it's going to be a great atmosphere next week, and I'm positive that our boys have got enough fight in them, and enough quality, to win the game and cement our place in the play-offs.

Speaking to Dunfermline Press, Neil Lennon was asked if his team was now safe:

I'd like to think so, we're keeping a lot of clean sheets, I think that's three in the last four games, which is pleasing. We've been tougher to beat and picked up a few points, that's seven out of 12 so yeah, we're nearly there. Mathematically we're not, but we get a point along the way maybe and that'll do. We're not celebrating yet obviously, but we've put ourselves in a very strong position. What you don't want is people saying 'Ah, you only stayed up because of the Hamilton situation', so we've got to do it all of our own accord. It's been a difficult season for the club, we're nearly seeing the back of it now. It is a very valuable point, considering we looked a little bit nervous today and I’ll be glad to see the back of that pitch because it’s holding us back the way we want to play. Also, we’ve got a few important players missing at the minute and we’ve had to put a few square pegs in round holes but the majority of the hard work’s done now the way results have gone. Thistle are a good side, we needed Tobi to make a couple of really good saves in the first half, but we lacked the cutting edge up front, there's no question about that, even though we had a lot of territory both halves.

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