One team in Glasgow Partick Thistle

After a week discussing the politics of electric blanket switches and the potential effects of rugby boots on the bowling green of the Firhill Arena, it is great to be talking football again and reflecting on Partick Thistle’s best performance since the consecutive demolitions of Livingston and Clyde when the season was still young. A first half double from “fans favourite” Kevin McKinlay and a clinically despatched second half penalty from Liam Buchanan resulted in a 3-0 victory for a thunderous Thistle over lacklustre league leaders Hamilton.

Friday evening found the commentating duo carrying out a reconnaissance mission in the Jackie Husband Stand. Despite a record Firhill crowd for this season of over 5000 (more than double the number who turned out for the football the next day) there was no sign of the two little boys with the two little toys, even though Rolf Harris had assured us that they were “Warriors both, of course”. Having to get up out of our seats at least 20 times to let people push past on their way to and from the bar gave reason for reflection on one of the unsung advantages of football’s alcohol ban-at least you can concentrate on watching the game!

The Saracens’ substitutes ran up and down the in-goal area (football’s six yard box) ensuring that the goalmouth was properly churned up so as to achieve equivalent potato field status to the centre circle, the wings and most of the rest of the pitch. Four groundsmen with pitchforks came on at half-time to give their interpretation of re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. The home team gave away two soft scores and then huffed and puffed manfully for the rest of the game without ever quite being able to catch up against unspectacular, but efficient, opponents. Was this a rather ominous portent of what would happen the next day, especially in view of Thistle’s failure to make any impression on Hamilton in two previous encounters this season? Another footballing lesson from the Academical seemed to be the most likely outcome.

As the Arena melted away to be replaced by the Stadium and as the irresistibly catchy tune and lyrics of “Thistle Do” took over from the announcer’s aggravating incitements to “Make some NOISE”, the sense of foreboding did not evaporate. Ten Thistle names were read out to a polite smattering of appreciative applause, but “Number 4 Kevin McKinlay” was greeted by the silence of brains trying to compute why he kept getting a game. Red and white hoops made Hamilton look huge, and the home fans groaned “Do you come here Offiong?” as the skyscraper build of the biggest of them all and Thistle’s chief tormentor in recent games hove into view.

From the kick off Thistle adopted standard rugby tactics of finding touch on Hamilton’s 22 but then failed to win the resulting line-out. The referee Iain Brines (Partick the Dog was temporarily excited by the thought of “Sausages in Brine”) was also unsure which game he was refereeing, so adopted a hybrid version in which Hamilton were allowed to handle the ball at will, but Thistle were penalised for doing the same.

Then three pennies dropped. Thistle as a team realised that a potato patch of a pitch did not necessarily mean having to play tatty football, left the longball game to Hamilton and began to stroke the ball about on the ground. Archie and Robertson realised that Offiong could be tamed, and proceeded to outjump, outhead, outfight and generally stay right on top of him for the whole 90 minutes. And, most wondrous of miracles, Kevin McKinlay realised that he was meant to be a football player, Was he playing “Search for the hero inside yourself” on his personal stereo? Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Behind the deceptive outward appearance of a bumbling Clark Kent, Superman was struggling to break out.

Thistle compensated for the absence of suspended new permanent signing William Kinniburgh by bringing John Robertson infield to centre back, pushing Simon Storey across to wingback and slotting Gary Harkins into the midfield. Scott Chaplain returned from suspension to displace Ryan McStay in the advanced midfield role. Thistle played with 4 at the back (Storey, Robertson, Archie, Twaddle), but thereafter the formation was open to various interpretations. The forum has mentioned 4-5-1, 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and even 4-2-1-2-1. Basically Roberts stayed up front the whole time and roamed around to productive effect.

Buchanan was usually up with him, but also pulled wide right on a regular basis. McKinlay was not generally as far forward as Buchanan, but joined him to form a three-pronged attack when opportunity arose. Meanwhile Chaplain patrolled the middle of the park, putting in a power of work linking the attack and the defence, and sitting in front of Rowson and Harkins. Yet such was the flexibility of Thistle’s approach that the two holding midfielders were also prominent in many of the attacking moves. In the end we should not become too hung up on numbers-the system worked!

Although Hamilton’s leftside fullback Brian Easton showed up well in attack, he and his colleagues were finding it difficult to deal with Buchanan’s incursions from the right, and his excellent deliveries into the box. From one of these the ball ran along the six yard line and eventually reached Roberts. His shot was deflected and trickled just wide. Then Harkins lumbered past his man on the left side of the penalty area and seemed to be chopped down. My sidekick referred to the referee as an “awayer” for failing to award a penalty.

In the 24th minute a promising attack seemed to have broken down when Liam could not get his final shot away. However, in a movement strangely reminiscent of the final part of a young Michael Owen’s oft repeated wonder goal against Argentina, Kevin McKinlay took decisive control of the ball, pushed it wide of the last defender and clipped it powerfully high into the opposite corner of the net. Cue stunned disbelief followed by rapturous celebration.

The advantage was nearly doubled three minutes later. This time Gary Harkins delivered a telling cross from the right, Hit Man McKinlay headed it down and Liam Buchanan looked odds on to score from close range, but made poor contact, allowing Halliwell to save. Chaplain had started quietly, but was becoming more involved in the play. Frequent attacks were being mounted, usually featuring two or three good passes opening up spaces, with various combinations of McKinlay, Roberts, Buchanan and Harkins taking part. From one such cross from Roberts, Liam was again unable to supply the finishing touch.

McKinlay’s next moment of magic in what has been a good week for Kevins was not long delayed. In the 35th minute Roberts spread the ball wide right and Buchanan whipped in a magnificent cross which the new goal machine met with his head. It was hardly a bulleting header, but the unconventional trajectory confused Halliwell and the ball ended up nestling in the same corner of the goal as its predecessor.

Hamilton tried to branch out by bringing on Gary Twigg, but all the blossom was on the Thistle tree. All season we have been willing the masterful David Rowson to end his scoring drought. However, after a typical driving run, his powerful shot flew just high and wide. Thistle ended the half in total control, and after a strange attack in which Buchanan kept crossing the ball, and it kept being returned to him by the Hamilton defence, Harkins was desperately unlucky to see his drive from the edge of the area cannon back off the crossbar.

There was little change to the pattern of the play in the second half, although Offiong did have a little more success in bringing the ball down and trying to bustle his way through the Thistle rearguard. One such attack produced a corner which Jonny Tuffey dropped. Apart from a couple of early substandard kicks (thereafter his kicking and general distribution were commendable), this was his only real mistake, and he quickly redeemed himself by leaping to claim a high delivery back into the box.

Another Thistle attack down the right, with Chaplain and Roberts releasing (or should that be publishing?) Storey, was halted by the referee awarding a mysterious freekick to Hamilton. Thistle had more luck down the other side, with McKinlay threading through a pass which Harkins gathered. As he drove into the box, showing impressive pace to keep ahead of a chasing pack, he was scythed down by a combination of three Hamilton defenders.

Even Sausages in Brine could not fail to spot the foul, although he was unable to bring himself to issue a card of any colour. Thistle’s record in converting penalty kicks in normal time (as opposed to shoot out heroics) was poor in 2007 and there was some concern that Marko would try his luck again, or that Kevin would go to the well once too often and try for his hat-trick. Fortunately Liam had clearly been deputed for this task and he drove the ball confidently into the net low and right of the keeper.

“Easy, Easy” chanted some.
“Gonnaenodothat” grumbled others, remembering the late debacle against St Johnstone.

Hamilton withdrew Parratt to a perch in the dug-out and threw on the more attack-minded Gilhaney. The referee compounded a dismal performance by restarting the game with a drop ball instead of a throw in after Thistle had put the ball out of play to allow treatment of an injured player. Jonny Tuffey did well to palm away a goalbound Twigg header. Archie almost produced a moment to remember when a dead ball delivery reached him at the far corner of the six yard box. After neatly stepping outside a defender, he fired in a sizzling angled drive which Halliwell somehow deflected on to the crossbar, thus effectively saving two goals, as Archie only scores in doubles. Twaddle won applause for a long pursuit followed by a crunching tackle with a telescopic leg.

Stevie Murray came on to replace Liam Buchanan, who was perhaps being preserved for Tuesday’s cup tie against Dunfermline. Then again, maybe Ian McCall was trying to keep Liam out of the goalscoring news, which might attract the attention of his former manager at Cowdenbeath, Mixu Paatelainen, as he endeavours to restore Hibernian’s fortunes.

Liam was given the Man of the Match award, although in my book there were more deserving causes in Archie for his defensive domination, and Marko for a good all round display in attack. No one could have grudged the confidence boost of the award going to McKinlay. Harkins, hailed as “highly impressive” by the stadium announcer, gave way to McKeown, and right at the death, McKinlay was allowed to receive his own special ovation. After recent trauma, it was great to see Simon Donnelly coming on in McKinlay’s place and he immediately displayed his talents with a neat interchange of headers and passes with the dynamic Scott Chaplain.

Hamilton never gave up, but only once did they look like scoring. A Gilhaney drive beat everybody else, including Tuffey, but Archie was perfectly placed to make the goal-line clearance. Thistle’s determination and application did not relent, and the hard-earned clean sheet will encourage goalkeeper and defenders alike.

Hamilton looked anything but tabletoppers and their support was shockingly thin for league leaders visiting relatively local rivals. This result propels Thistle towards the upper reaches of the mid-table pack, whereas a defeat would have dropped us frighteningly near to the relegation zone.

The pitch looked awful, but I did not notice any particular problems caused by its condition, and it certainly did not prevent Thistle from playing a passing game. Hopefully the pitch will hold out and Thistle will produce the same level of performance against Dunfermline on Tuesday. I suspect that the same team will be announced and that the name of a certain number 4 might just raise a small cheer!

Man of the match: Kevin McKinlay