One team in Glasgow Partick Thistle

Partick Thistle v Morton
Irn Bru S.F.L First Division
21st February 2009 3.00pm
Firhill Stadium
Reporter: Kieron Dempsey
Referee: C Charleston
Attendance: 3,348

Manager McCall made only two changes to the team that lost to Dunfermline in an entertaining match last Saturday with Robertson replacing Kinniburgh and McKeown replacing Chaplain. The strong winds around the stadium contributed somewhat to the overall disappointing standard of football on display in what had promised on paper to be another entertaining match.

However, this game did have its moments and in the tenth minute Thistle forced a save from the Morton keeper who parried McKeown’s fierce shot. The next clear chance fell to Buchanan who fired a low shot goalward but the Morton keeper took it fairly comfortably. Shortly afterwards the Thistle striker was thwarted yet again as he pressed forward taking on the defense, but his run took him wide of the goal and he was unable to connect sufficiently to have a decent shot.

Thistle nearly went behing in 40 minutes when from a decent cross, an unmarked Smith  fired a canonball of a header towards the Thislte goal with Tuffey looking beaten. Only a last minute curve took the ball onto the post where it smacked the woodwork, the rebound being dealt with by a stunned Thistle defense.

Thistle responded with another attack which saw the ball being put out for a corner. Paton’s cross was well weighted and Harkins managed to connect well forcing Cuthbert the Morton keeper to make another good block. Moments later Paton again caused concern in the Morton defense when his dangerous cross had to be headed out for a corner. Unfortuanetly for the Jags the assistant referee flagged for a goal kick and so the pressure on Morton was off. When half time came, Thistle left the fild the more confident of the two sides as they had given the better performance.

Thistle started the second half as they had finished the first pushing forward and looking for the opener, Paton putting another dangerous cross into the box in the first few seconds. Only four minutes later the Thistle pressure was to pay off when Doolan fired a brilliant shot into the net from 14 yards after good work from Buchanan and McKeown.

Morton responded quickly, but fortunately Finlayson’s effort went wide of Tuffey’s goal. In the 65th minute Morton fans thought they had equalised when Finlayson put the ball into the Jag’s net, but he had been in an offside postion even before his final touch.

Morton continued to rally and began to press forward with more concerted and sustained attacks. It is fair to say though that few of these really tested the Thistle keeper. Their best attack involved some good work by Finlayson which ended with Weatherson connecting with his cross, but the header was weak and was easilly dealt with by Tuffey.

The game was drawing to a close and there was some anxiety amongst the Thistle fans that Morton might squeeze in a late equaliser, however, despite there being three minutes of added time, Thistle managed to see the game out as victors.

On what was a good saturday for Thistle most of the other results went ‘our way’ so there is still some hope that our promotion hopes might not yet be over. As I said last week, we have to have hope. A couple of draws for the other challengers might just help us to get to the top spot, just at the right time.

My man of the match for today must be Kris Doolan, for as well as scoring such an important goal he has adjusted very quickly to the senior game and seems to have blended easily with those in the team around him.

Thistle: Tuffey, Paton, Storey, John Robertson, Archibald, Twaddle, McKeown (Chaplain 76), Rowson, Harkins, Buchanan (McKinlay 67), Doolan (Donnelly 86).
Players not used: Kinniburgh, Hinchcliffe.

Booked: Paton.

Scorers: Doolan 49.

Morton: Cuthbert, Walker, Shimmin, Greacen, Smith (Grady 62), Finlayson, Masterton, McGuffie (Paartalu 69), McAlister, Weatherson, Wake (Russell 77).
Players not used: McManus, Cannon.

Booked: Finlayson.

Attendance: 3,348

Referee: C Charleston