One team in Glasgow Partick Thistle

Partick Thistle v Livingston Scottish League First Division
22 November 2008  3.00 pm.
Reporter: Kieron Dempsey
Scorers: Thistle Buchanan 11, McKeown 43 Livingston MacKay (pen) 27 minutes
Attendance:  2,416

 

Livingston arrived with a very small support but a large amount of stress over the club’s finances. With rumours that the club were in severe financial problems and that even the power supply to the stadium is at risk it would be difficult to motivate any team. Whether this had any affect on them yesterday is open to question but there were certainly marked differences in the two sides.

 

Thistle replaced John Robertson with Simon Storey and Steven Lennon replaced Damon Gray on the bench due to injury problems. Thistle came out in the famous pink strip and I have to be honest this was the first time I liked it as a football strip.  Thistle immediately went on the offensive and showed some nice passing football. Only seconds had gone when Paton put a cross into the box that had the Livingston defence scrambling. Minutes later McKinlay did the same with the Livingston keeper having to take the ball just as Buchanan’s head was about to connect. Thistle looked sharp and were trying to play some good passing football.

 

In ten minutes it paid off and the Jags had gone one up. After winning a corner for us Buchanan headed a rocket into the back of the net from an excellent Donnelly cross. It was nearly two for Buchanan in fifteen minutes but the Livingstone keeper pulled of a good save tipping the ball over the crossbar. At this stage Thistle were well on top and there was little reply coming from Livingston. Two chances came Thistle’s way within the next few minutes with Donnelly’s header being misdirected and Buchanan failing to capitalise on a Gary Harkins knock down.

 

However, Livingston were to equalise in controversial manner in the twenty sixth minute when the referee blew for a penalty in what seemed to be a blatant piece of gamesmanship from Calum Elliot in response to a Maxwell tackle. MacKay took the penalty putting Tuffey the wrong way to put Livingston level. However, it was only a couple of minutes later that the referee must have realised he could have been in error when Elliot tried a similar routine in outfield play only to find himself  yellow carded for the dive. 

 

Thistle lost some of their focus after this, but pulled it back together again with a tremendous second goal minutes before half time. Some great interplay between Harkins and Donnelly ended with McKeown blasting the ball into the roof of the Livingston net.The half time whistle blew minutes later as Thistle continued to push forward. Livingston came out in the second half determined to break through the Thistle defence and gain the equaliser. They looked much sharper and more inventive than in the first period. However, this came to very little in terms of real chances and Tuffey was never really troubled. Signs of Thistle’s re-emergence began to show but some of the good passing play ended in a frustrating stray ball. However it has to be said that some of the approach play was inventive and that the speed of Thistle team seemed a grade higher than that of their opponents.

 

Chaplain replaced McKeown in the sixty-fifth minute with the scorer of the Jags second goal having being injured. It was not long before he made his presence felt as he fired a shot that just went wide of the Livingston goal. The at times excellent Harkins made a run cutting right through the Livingston midfield and rifled a shot that went over the Livingston crossbar.

 

Thistle hustled and harried for almost every ball and it was this that helped neuter any opportunity for Livingston to attack. However, the Thistle dominance was always at risk with only one goal of a cushion and they nearly paid for this when Elliot, drove a shot from thirty yards that Tuffey had to get down to save.

Lennon came on for Buchanan in the seventy-eighth minute and he nearly contributed with six minutes to go when he just failed to latch on to a strong Storey cross.

 

Livingston managed to press up towards the Thistle goal, but their poor performance continued as they lost control of the ball. However, this was enough to get many of the Thistle fans shouting for the final whistle.

 

Roberts came on for Donnelly with two minutes to go and then that was it - another three points for Thistle putting them in third position with a game in hand of Dunfermline in second. That’s five games in a row without defeat for the jags and three successive wins. With the way the team played at times yesterday there did seem to be the potential for a promotion challenge in the second half of the season.

 

Man of match: This was a difficult choice, but on balance I awarded it to Simon Donnelly for continuing to improve his performance and contribution week on week.

 

Partick Thistle: Jonny Tuffey, Paton, McKinlay, Storey, Kinniburgh, Maxwell,

McKeown (Chaplain 65), Rowson, Buchanan (Lennon 77), Donnelly (Roberts 89),

Harkins.

 

Subs Not Used: Hinchcliffe, McStay.

 

Goals: Buchanan 11, McKeown 43.

 

Livingston: Martini, MacKay, Talbot, McPake, Fox, Innes, McParland (Cuenca 50),

A Trialist (Hamill 59), Elliot, Quinn, Miller (Smith 79).

 

Subs Not Used: MacDonald, Jamieson.

 

Booked: Elliot, Fox, MacKay.

 

Goal: MacKay 27 pen.

 

Att: 2,416

 

Ref: C Boyle