One team in Glasgow Partick Thistle

Readers of ptfc.net match reports will be aware of the effort we go to in an attempt to avoid using unpopular and tired clichés. However, there is no other way to describe todays 2-1 win at Palmerston than ‘a game of two halves’. Queens were deservedly ahead after dominating the first-half and scoring through rumoured Jags target Steven Dobbie, but a revitalised Thistle turned it around after the interval.

Manager Ian McCall only made one change to the side that performed well for all except the last two minutes of the St Johnstone game, and that was an enforced change, with Johnny Tuffey replacing the injured Craig Hinchcliffe. And it was the Thistle keeper who was first into action, saving well from a Dobbie header after an uninspiring opening ten minutes or so.

The resultant corner did see the home team take the lead, and it was an avoidable goal. It seemed as if every Jags outfield player tried and failed to clear the ball as it arrived in the area, and it eventually reached Dobbie at the back post, who showed no such indecision, blasting the ball past McStay and Tuffey from close range. Tuffey was again required to save shortly after, although the fiercely hit free kick from Steve Tosh was at a good height for the keeper.

It took twenty minutes for Thistle to make any kind of meaningful attack, and not only did it turn out to be their only one of the half, it didn’t even lead to a shot on goal. John Robertson did well to get forward down the right side, and his dangerous low cross could easily have been turned into his own net by Jim Thomson, instead of into the hands of Jamie MacDonald in the Queens goal.

Although the Arctic conditions were certainly far from ideal, Thistle were outfought in midfield for much of the first half. The game largely bypassed Ryan McStay, and Queens had further efforts through Jamie McQuilken and Dobbie, who may consider himself unfortunate to have had a goal disallowed for offside. Thistle were able to muster a couple of corners just before the interval, but the thought of pies and bovril provided more consolation at the end of a poor first half.

Ian McCall deserves a huge amount of credit for the much improved second half performance, as the replacement of McStay with Simon Storey proved extremely influential. Not only did Storey set up Liam Buchanan for the winning goal, his overall performance was effective and more suited to this game.

The opening minutes of the second half provided more encouragement than the entire first half, with Thistle looking more of a threat without actually creating any clear chances. A well worked free kick involving Marc Twaddle and Storey saw no takers for the latter’s low ball into the six-yard box. At the other end, Tuffey’s suicidal exit from his area saw him rounded by Dobbie, but fortunately the striker was forced too wide and was unable to take advantage.

After 63 minutes, Thistle were able to draw level, and it came through top-scorer Buchanan, a player who seems to be getting better and sharper with every passing week. Kevin McKinlay’s cross from the left was intelligently headed down by Mark Roberts, and Buchanan finished well past MacDonald.

At this stage the momentum was all with Thistle, and the team capitalised with a second goal after 68 minutes. It was a straightforward goal from a corner, with the unmarked Buchanan heading home at the back post after Storey’s excellent delivery, but it was good to see as this is the sort of goal usually conceded by Thistle rather than scored.

With Thistle now in the lead, and the game entering it’s closing stages, I’m sure I was not the only one whose thoughts began to drift back to the horrendous finish of last weeks game, and sure enough, a similar pattern developed. Thistle were sitting too deep and long balls began to rain down on Tuffey and the defence. These were dealt with well in general, and despite quite a bit of pressure and a couple of very hopeful shouts for a penalty, Queens didn’t create any real chances, with a Neil Scally shank wide from the edge of the area the only direct attempt on the Jags goal.

The conditions were always going to ensure this was no classic, but the spirit showed by the team to fight back after a really poor first half was very encouraging, as were the individual displays of Storey and Buchanan, who seems to be developing a promising partnership with Roberts. Thistle only really created two chances today, and Buchanan took them both, whereas earlier in the season this may not have been the case.

Man of the match: Liam Buchanan