Tuesday 02 May 2006
| Stranraer 1 - 3 Thistle
Written by Neil Martin |
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| Tuesday, 02 May 2006 | |
| Three second-half goals in a fantastic fightback gave Thistle a well deserved 3-1 win over Stranraer in the first leg of their Division One semi-final play-off at Stair Park tonight.The Red and Yellow army travelled south in good numbers for this match, and the strong turnout from the Jags fans was in contrast to the home support, which seemed remarkably small for such an important game.
Dick Campbell lined Thistle up in his favoured 4-4-2, with no changes made from the 3-2 win over Dumbarton on Saturday. For Stranraer, ex-Thistle striker Leigh Hinds started up front and top scorer David Hamilton, who had been a doubt for the game, was fit to play in midfield. This was a match that Thistle dominated almost from start to finish, in a manner that most of us probably did not anticipate. Having said that, the tendency to allow the opposition to take the lead was prevalent again, with Stranraer scoring first through Stephen Swift after 19 minutes, and holding their lead until half-time. Swift’s goal arrived against the run of play, and Thistle had looked the team most likely to score up until then. With 5 minutes gone, Scott McCulloch rose highest to get his head to a McConalogue corner, but Mark Roberts was unable to get a good connection on the turn. Billy Gibson then played Adam Strachan in down the Thistle left shortly after, and his run and shot resulted in the ball rebounding from Barry John Corr’s near post. Gibson himself then flashed a header wide as Thistle assumed almost complete control. As is often the case however, this Jags supremacy translated into a goal – for Stranraer. Hinds won a corner after turning inside the box, and from the resultant delivery a free header for Hamilton was not properly cleared when it should have been, and Swift shot home through a crowded 6 yard box. Thistle had the ideal chance to equalise with half an hour gone, when Strachan did well down the Thistle right this time, and his low cross reached Darren Brady at the back post. In truth, Brady had no real conviction with his finish, and it was a relatively comfortable save for Corr. Half-time arrived without any more clear chances for either team, and although Thistle had played reasonably well, the worry amongst some fans was that Stranraer would be more dangerous in the second half if they sat back and counter attacked. It is true to say that they did sit back and invite Thistle to dominate possession, but any fears about the outcome were unfounded as Thistle destroyed the home side with a stunning display, the likes of which have been rarely seen this season. Both sides made changes to their forward lines soon after the restart, with Ian Harty replacing Michael Moore for the home team, and Thistle having to replace the injured McConalogue with Steven Nicholas. Thistle resumed their domination, with David Craig heading over from another corner and a McCulloch free-kick almost replicating Roberts first goal away at Inverness in the cup earlier this season. If this acted as a warning as to the dangers of McCulloch’s free-kicks, it was not heeded, as he equalised from a very similar position 15 minutes into the second-half. There is some debate about who got the last touch on the powerful shot, but the credit has to go to the Jags left back. Thistle were not content to sit on their equaliser, and the old stand at Stair Park was rocking as the team poured forward; seven minutes later, it was rocking even louder as Thistle took the lead. There were some Blue appeals for handball against Strachan in the build-up, but play continued and he crossed for Roberts to place an excellent header past Corr into the corner. Still Thistle continued to attack, and by this stage the impression was that Stranraer were a defeated team and that the tie could almost be put beyond them – indeed, they resembled the Thistle team towards the end of last season. The third goal on 75 minutes came via the penalty spot after a Billy Gibson run into the box was cut short, illegally according to referee Winter. Despite ex-Celt Corr guessing correctly, Roberts penalty was safely into the right corner and the Jags win was secured. Further chances arrived as a thoroughly deflated home team began to give the ball away in front of their own back four. Strachan had a weak shot saved low by Corr, and Nicholas was unlucky (as he has been on a few occasions this season) when his effort from the angle of the area flew past the post. To compound Stranraer’s misery, in the last minute a shocking two-footed tackle on Billy Gibson by Alex Keddie eventually resulted in two red cards; a straight red for the tackle, and a second booking for Bryan Gilfillan (McCulloch was also booked for the melee that followed the tackle). The midfielder had appeared set to escape another caution, but the referee received some help from the now jubilant Thistle fans, who were right in front of the incident and naturally eager to ensure that justice was done. This result was the ideal start to the play-offs for Thistle, and although complacency should be guarded against, should result in progression to the final against either Morton or Peterhead. The home team were extremely poor, and their goal – the result of some poor defending - was their only serious attempt of the night. This should not take away from the Jags performance, particularly in the second-half, which was excellent and of a standard unfortunately not seen too often this season. With this team, you get the feeling that they are capable of delivering in big games, and with 3 more (hopefully) to come we will need more performances like this one. With that in mind, it is to be hoped that the injuries that saw both McConalogue and Craig replaced are not too serious. Man of the match:
STATS Attendance: 1,100
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