One team in Glasgow Partick Thistle

Livingston v Partick Thistle
Irn Bru Scottish Football League Division One
Saturday 28 February 2009
Almondvale
Reporter Tom Hogg
Attendance 2876

Referee S McLean

Thistle left Almondvale with all three points after a thoroughly entertaining ninety minutes packed with goals, honest graft, the usual smattering of misplaced passes and two moments of sublime genius. Add in the reappearance of Armand One, playing for the only club he’s ever wanted to play for, a bizarre pre match ritual involving buying tickets from a wee booth (where else would you have to do that?) and Signor Massone having one of his capos reading out an almost incoherent public statement (for whose benefit?) and you have a recipe for a great February afternoon that would otherwise be spent watching the egg chasers.

Ian McCall fielded the same starting eleven as last week with Maxwell joining the bench after his suspension. Livingston were without the suspended Chris Innes with Danny Griffin and Dave McKay forming an unlikely centre half pairing.

For a game with six goals, this wasn’t an incident packed encounter and it took more than ten minutes for the game to produce its first half chance with Livingston’s McParland shooting wide after a break down the Jags left. Thistle’s attacks lacked conviction and the first fifteen minutes went by with only a corner to show for a lot of huffing and puffing. The game took a fortunate turn for the Jags though when after 18 minutes a twist in the box from Buchanan was met robustly by Talbot and the ref pointed to the spot. Gary Harkins dispatched the penalty to McKenzie’s right and the Jags were off and running.

Lifted by the goal, Buchanan and Doolan began to pull about the Livingston back line with some good off the ball movement and Buchanan was unlucky turning off the shoulder of McKay when the ball just didn’t run for him. The wee fellow was lucky just to get a ticking off a moment later when he inadvertantly handled the ball and booted it away in frustration.

Livingston then had their first telling contribution with a well struck free kick from Torrance rattling the bar and De Vita blasting the rebound over under pressure from Robertson. The home team were clawing their way back into the game with De Vita looking useful, holding the ball well and releasing the wide players into the channels, but the Jags went further ahead on 34 minutes with a Paton shot on the right edge of the box deflected in after a nice Doolan lay off.

It took until the 44th minute for the Jags to deliver the first real quality in the game, with a sweeping move from back to front via Twaddle, Rowson, McKeown and a great Paton cross eventually cleared for a corner and the Jags fans and players left the field well pleased to have the upper hand in what had been a fairly even contest.

Thistle took off where they left off, with the first attack of the second half resulting in a sweet Twaddle cross being cleared to the back post and Harkins cutting in to deliver a near post shot that squeezed wide. A minute later though and the goal of the game came from David Rowson, who was well placed to connect with a clearance around twenty yards out and slammed the ball into the top corner of the net to his great delight, with all ten outfield players joining in the celebrations.

The Jags relief at making the three points safer was short lived as on 51 minutes, Leigh Griffiths, by far Livingston’s best player, ran on to a through ball and slotted past Tuffey. Minutes later, the clearly struggling Robertson was subbed, with Maxwell coming on to take up the right centre position. Buchanan tried to relieve the pressure with a good run from a Tuffey kick out that ended in a last ditch tackle on the penalty spot, but Livingston were well in the game at this point and exerting real pressure on the Thistle centre pairing.

Both teams made substitutions around the hour mark, with Donnelly replacing Buchanan and Armand One joining the fray for Livi to great acclaim from the away support. One almost repaid the Jags fans fond welcome by heading in to his own goal from a Paton corner.

One was proving to be a bit of a handful, with good flicks and distribution from feet, but the loss of Robertson was perhaps a factor when Livingston scored their second, Griffiths being played in behind Archibald after the ball had made its way across the edge of the box with the left footed Maxwell at a disadvantage and unable to tackle.

McKinlay came on for Doolan as Thistle tried to claw their way back into the game, but Livingston continued to press and the Jags were pushed ever deeper with clearances inevitably going to the team in yellow, not pink and grey. The Jags were up against it but Donnelly and McKinlay eventually got their act in gear and saw more of the ball as the game began to peter out. It was Donnelly cleverly holding the ball in the middle who was fouled in the 89th minute some twenty yards out. With Twaddle and Storey present, Harkins coolly stepped up and stroked the ball over the wall into the top right corner with McKenzie stranded. It was a goal straight out of the top drawer and no more than Harkins has deserved for his craft over the course of the season.

A great three points and some great goals but at times it was closer than it needed to have been.  Thistle failed to deal effectively with the long ball game, which to Livingston’s credit, they only resorted to in the last third of the the match. Straight As to the ever willing front pair, the sublime Harkins, industrious Rowson, eager Paton and unflappable Tuffey, but pass marks only for the rest, despite what looks like a convincing victory. On balance, we deserved to win, by bossing the midfield for long periods, but Livingston will no doubt feel that their fightback merited a point.

Man of the match - it has to be David Rowson, who spoiled all day, tackling back and breaking up to the extent that Livingston eventually just booted it past him.  Oh and he scored a goal as well.

Livingston

McKenzie, Miller, Talbot, Griffin, McKay, Torrance, McParland, Hammill, Griffiths, De Vita, Halliday.

Partick Thistle

Tuffey, Paton, Twaddle, Storey, Robertson, Archibald, McKeown, Rowson, Buchanan, Doolan, Harkins

Subs.  Hinchcliffe, Donnelly, McKinlay, Maxwell , Chaplain