Match Report - Raith Rovers v Partick Thistle
Raith Rovers v Partick Thistle
Starks Park, Kirkcaldy
Saturday 16th January 2009
Referee- Euan Norris
Attendance: 1950approx
by Tom Hogg
Thistle arrived in Kirkcaldy as the snow disappeared and at the end of ninety eminently forgettable minutes, the more than 700 fans who had made the journey were left wishing that the Arctic conditions had persisted for a wee bit longer.
Late illness call offs for Lovell, Adams (in what would have been his last appearance) and Maxwell left a depleted squad but the team still lined up as a 4-4-2 despite the inclusion of utility defender Greig Shields in the starting line up. Shields took up a post to the left of Rowson in midfield with the other new loanee Ryan Conroy slotting in at left back. Archibald moved to the centre and Liam Buchanan started alongside Donnelly up front.
Thistle started the brighter of the two but Rovers were first to threaten after only five minutes when a set piece from deep was flicked on towards Tade who headed wide. Shortly after Corcoran was put under pressure at the edge of his own box but the ball was smuggled away without any real threat arising. However by the twelfth minute Thistle were looking more in control and Donnelly was fouled near the edge of the box after he collected an incisive Rowson pass with his back to goal. As the anticipation rose in the away stand, Sid stepped up and blasted the ball high over the bar.
The next ten minutes were the high spot of the game for the Jags as the midfield began to exert some control and there were moments of crisp interplay involving Cairney, Donnelly and Rowson. The net result of all the endeavours was a series of corners which brought no real opportunities to open the scoring. Mark Corcoran had a clearer chance near the half hour mark after Donnelly was fouled in a central position and Conroy floated in a decent cross. The ball seemed to land right onto his head but Corcoran conspired to head wide when from the other end of the ground it looked like he should have hit the target.
Signs of things to come appeared when Tade was released on the right but failed to hit any takers with his low cross , but he had the ball in the net seconds later after a Russell shot crashed off the bar. Luckily for the Jags, his effort was ruled offside, but Thistle had given up the initiative and Rovers began to look more dangerous with two decent half chances and a series of corners that the Jags defence failed to clear at the first time of asking.
Simon Donnelly then produced one of the few clear chances that Thistle were to have when he took a good Cairney pass on the half volley and forced McGurn to palm the ball past.
As the half wore on Greig Shields was lucky to stay on the pitch with two fouls in quick succession, the first of which produced a harsh booking and the second of which merited a card which the ref failed to produce.
The half time pies were accompanied by chat about how the gaffer would sort the team out and get the misfiring midfield to click, but one of the first acts of the second half was a Rowson mistake giving possession to Rovers, with Robertson making a decisive saving tackle. Thistle went straight up the pitch and produced a series of half chances, but all too often the build up was faltering or over elaborate. Poor decision making in the final third was causing useful possession to be lost and both Cairney and Paton were booked in scraps for loose balls.
McCall tried to mix things up by replacing Shields with Erskine and the out of sorts Buchanan with Doolan but things were only to get worse after Kevin Smith flicked a free header into the corner of Tuffey’s net in 71 minutes after a deftly delivered free kick. Hodge immediately replaced the tired Cairney, but none of the substitutions brought the desired effect, with the game petering out in a series of ineffectual Thistle attacks and worse, a couple of good opportunities for Rovers, including a shot from Smith that Tuffey did well to save.
The only light relief in ninety strained minutes came when the referees assistant flagged the referee across the full width of the pitch to advise him that a member of the Rovers backroom staff was standing outside the technical area, the naughty man. Maybe the SFA have a rule against that and we will get a replay…
A depressing day out at the seaside and one which most will want to forget. Pass marks for new boy Conroy who looked competent if uncomplicated and for the centre backs and the ever willing Donnelly. However, the midfield all struggled on a poor pitch where the ball could go anywhere off a bit of loose turf or a wet patch and Mark Corcoran had a day where nothing seemed to go right. Time to re-assess where we are looking to go over the next few weeks. Maybe we need to blood the fringe players like Boyle and McBeth when the moment arrives.
Man of the match Simon Donnelly, who kept trying to play football on the ground and make space for his colleagues.