One team in Glasgow Partick Thistle

Partick Thistle 2 - 0 Dunfermline Athletic
Saturday 19 September 2009 3.00 pm
Referee: C. Richmond
Attendance: 3,263
by Kieron Dempsey

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In the absence of a formal match report I felt that it may be worth reporting on the match day experience as it was for me, as a way of covering this. The day started with the Centenary Gala outside the stadium. This was to celebrate the fact that this was one hundred years since the Dumbarton Harp lined up against us for our first match at Firhill. Organised by the club and manned by the trust, the Gala events I have been told were very well attended. I never saw any of it though, as I was preparing for our match day guests.

I had four groups visiting the stadium on Saturday and a couple of individuals. My main group were of course our elderly guests from the Glasgow Old People’s Welfare Association GOPWA who were due to arrive at the stadium around half one. The three other groups included one from an addiction charity, one from a mental health charity and one from the social integration project. I also had two of our trainee coaches visiting for an introduction to the stadium itself.

While making my way round to meet the first of my groups, I was lucky enough to bump into Bobby Dinnie and to give him a quick update on where we are with the community coaching project and, of course, where we are heading with it. I have to say that along with Ricky Roughen, Bobby has been giving me very valuable advice on getting this going since John Henry left to go to Burnley. The project has now reached the point where it should be up and running within the next few weeks. After meeting my early groups I received the call that the GOPWA bus had arrived and I went over to the Jackie Husband to find my guests had already been taken up to their room and given their tea and sandwiches. After a quick chat with them it was back over to the Aitken Suite to speak to a couple of trust members who wanted to speak to me. After this it was back to the JH and taking the GOPWA guests down to their seats and watching the match.

The Match:
Thistle started with Doolan up front as Buchanan was out due to suspension. Both sides started fairly evenly but it wasn’t long before Dunfermline started to look the more aggressive of the two. I was informed by one of my elderly guests that we “…need a bully up front to push their defenders about a bit…” as I know nothing about football I nodded without committing myself. I then shot over to sit with the trainee coaches and Govanhill Kids where I was told that our “…number five looks very good, he is dealing with things very well at the back although they are pushing more…” I shot back over to the GOPWA group and reported this to my elderly guests who agreed, and also felt that we had started to get the upper hand. “That boy at the front there (Simon Donnelly) he should have done better with his shot there…” I nodded again without committing myself.

We had already had a couple of good chances with Cairney firing a low shot from distance into the arms of the Dunfermline keeper. We then had a number of openings, but with no sting. First we had a chance with Erskine putting the ball through to Doolan who just couldn’t capitalise, this was followed by an unsuccessful Donnelly free kick, then Hodge had an effort that went wide of the post. “Their defence is very well organised you just cannae find a way through - you need a bully up front…” I shot back over to my coaches and said that I thought that perhaps we needed someone more physical up front as they seemed well organised at the back. “Yes, possibly, but you are creating the chances…” I was told.

Shortly afterwards, in the 38th minute we went ahead. A short pass back was pounced on by Cairney who took the ball past the keeper and popped it into the back of the net. However, this rallied the visitors and Dunfermline started to push forward. In the 42nd minute they nearly equalised when Muirhead brought put in a cross for Andy Kirk who hit the cross-bar. I went back over to the GOPWA guests. “They’re pushing you!” I was told. Dunfermline had started to pile on the pressure with three corner kicks in succession. “You’re no dealing with it…” Thankfully, half time came with us still leading. “You were lucky to get to half time there - they were pushing you.”

It was tea and pies for the GOPWA guests who needed a bit of a heat during the interval. Most of the chat was about the match but a good bit of it was also about how much they enjoyed coming to Firhill, the friendliness of the atmosphere and the difference it has made to their weekend.

we had missed the start of the half due in part to the stairs which can be difficult for some, but also as there were still some pies to be finished. We arrived just in time to see Simon Donnelly pass the ball when he could have had a shot “You seem to want to walk it in. You need to shoot more…”

Dunfermline almost levelled in 57 minutes when Burke forced Tuffey into pushing the ball over with a strike from 25 yards. “You need to freshen things up…” I was told and minutes later Corcoran came on for Doolan. Corcoran was in amongst it right away forcing himself onto the opposition. “That’s mair like it…”

Then it was back over to see the coaches and the Govanhill Kids. The game was really firing on all cylinders at this point and in the 62nd minute Donnelly forced the keeper to save on the line.  Thistle pushed forward and an Archibald cross was put out for a corner. Hodge’s cross nearly reached Maxwell but Dunfermline were able to clear it. In the 67th minute I was called upstairs as something had been left in the GOPWA room. I heard the cheer, and I heared the banging and, yes, we were two up. I went back down to the GOPPWA group. “Aye, you missed yourself, it was a good goal. Your boy there (Corcoran) got away through and put the ball over to thon boy (Cairney) who fired it in before the wee fella (Donnelly) popped in the rebound.”

I went back over to sit with the coaches and Govanhill kids to have a word with them before the end of the match. “Your back four are really, really good. They move in formation. You don’t often see this in Scottish football but they move across the pitch as one - you often see the back four move up and down the field as a unit, but it’s not so usual for them to also do this across the field.” I nodded without committing myself.

I said my goodbyes and went back over to the GOPWA guests. Dunfermline tried to get one back but Thistle dealt with it comfortably and the match ended with a two nil win. “You’ve played well today. Some good wee players in your team.”
“Yes,” I said, “I think our back four are really good. They even move across the pitch as a unit not just up and down the field.”

I helped the GOPWA guests back to their bus and was told that they would be back for the next home game. I noticed also that two were now sporting Thistle scarves. As I say to everyone “It’s never too late.” I then went through to the Aitken Suite to find out that we were in fourth position with Dundee having gone down by two goals to Queen of the South.

Overall, this was a good performance by the team and they looked very competent throughout the game. The unusual colours we had turned out in a reminder of strips from a time long gone looked great with the excellent main stand in the background. Manager McCall has done a great job in putting together such a solid team so quickly after the loss of Harkins and Twaddle. With a bit of luck we could be in for a very exciting year.

Partick Thistle: Tuffey, Paton, Archibald, Hodge, Robertson, Maxwell, Cairney, Rowson, Doolan (Corcoran 59), Donnelly (Hamilton 80), Erskine (Boyle 76).

Players not used: Hinchcliffe, Kinniburgh.

Scorers: Cairney 39, Donnelly 70.

Dunfermline: Fleming, Woods, McCann (Muirhead 39), Phinn, McGregor, Dowie, Gibson (Holmes 66), Burke, Bayne, Kirk, Cardle. Players not used: Ross, Whyte, Paterson.

Booked: Woods, Dowie.

Attendance: 3,263

Ref: C Richmond