One team in Glasgow Partick Thistle

A rampant Thistle team turned in a superb second half display as they came from a goal behind to beat Ross County 5-2 at Victoria Park today.

The suspended duo of Darren Brady and Jimmy Gibson meant Dick Campbell had some rearranging of his team to do, and it saw Brown Ferguson and Billy Gibson come in to central midfield. Pat Keogh was also fit to play this week, so he resumed at centre-half with John Robertson switching to left-back and Steven Campbell right-back.

The Thistle fans who made the long journey north were given little indication of what was to come in the first half hour of this match, as there was very little goalmouth action at either end. The Jags substitutes warming up in front of the away fans were kept amused however, with Graham Gibson finding himself the recipient of some Seabiscuit comparisons from the bored occupants of the terracing behind Kenny Arthur’s goal.

Amick Ciani for County was the first player to find himself with a goal-scoring chance, and this was after fully 30 minutes. He really should have scored when clean through, but Arthur did well to push his low shot wide for a corner.

It was the home side who went ahead shortly afterwards, and in a fashion so often seen with the Jags defence. A corner from the County right was headed home, inevitably, by ex-Jag Andy Dowie. If anything, this seemed to stir Thistle, and two goals from Stephen McConalogue turned the score around before the interval.

The first of his double arrived after 34 minutes, with an excellent finish from the right-hand side of the County box that appeared to end up in the net via both posts. The second owed more to good build up play that saw Craig Samson in the home goal parry well from a Mark Roberts shot, but he was unable to prevent McConalogue from firing home the rebound.

Thistle still had to call on Arthur to preserve this lead just before half-time, with Kenny again doing well to keep out a shot from Martin Scott, this time saving with his feet.

Thistle began the second half in a similar vein, and Derek Young and Simon Donnelly should have made more of a situation that saw Young driving forward but his pass pushed Donnelly too wide and the chance was lost. Despite Thistle looking the more likely team to score at this stage, it was County who equalised after 55 minutes. Hugh Robertson has showed against Thistle in the past that he is dangerous from free kicks, and so he proved again as he beat both the wall and Arthur to level the game at 2-2.

Unfortunately by this time John Robertson had again succumbed to an injury, and been replaced in a straight swap by Scott McCulloch. Happily neither this setback nor the concession of the equaliser unsettled the Jags, and it only required two minutes for the lead to be re-established. Brown Ferguson, who impressed along with Billy Gibson, moved forward and from 25 yards his shot swerved past Samson (a keeper whose combination of ginger hair and history with Kilmarnock ensured he was a popular figure with those behind the goal).

I’m sure this writer was not the only one concerned shortly after this goal about our tendency to fall deeper into our own half when leading by one goal, but this thankfully was far from evident today. Thistle were determined to ensure there was no way back for County, and McConalogue could have completed his hat-trick when he was released one-on-one with Samson, who was able to deflect the Jags striker shot for a corner.

Thistle didn’t have to wait long for the fourth goal, as from Donnelly’s resultant corner Keogh was able to head home his first Thistle goal after some County defending that would have had been more at home in a Gretna-Jags compilation DVD (perish the thought that such a product ever exists). Even with that fourth goal Thistle were not finished, and McConalogue again raced through on the harassed Samson, only to be caught in two minds and failing to score or set up the supporting Ferguson and Roberts.

A four-goal haul for the Jags without Roberts on the scoresheet was an unlikely scenario, and one that was altered after 80 minutes. Adam Strachan had only minutes earlier replaced Ferguson, but a superb nutmeg of Gary Irvine gave him the space to pick out Roberts arriving at the back post, and the Thistle top scorer gleefully finished past Samson before celebrating with the delirious Jags fans.

Chants of ‘we want six’ were, alas, not to be fulfilled, and the home side threatened on a few occasions to gain some consolation as Thistle eased back and cruised towards full-time, and an excellent victory that returns us to within two points of Gretna at the top of the league.

Man of the match:
STEPHEN McCONALOGUE - Arthur, Keogh, Gibson and Ferguson all had fine games, but it is hard to look past McConalogue. Steph has taken some deserved criticism for recent performances, but there is no better way to respond. Both his goals were extremely well taken, his work rate was good, and a hat-trick would not have been undeserved.

Thistle: Arthur 8, Campbell 6, Robertson 6 (McCulloch 49, 6), Ferguson 8 (Strachan 76), Boyd 7, Keogh 7, B Gibson 8, Donnelly 6, Young 6, Roberts 7, McConaloge 9 (G Gibson 82).
Unused subs; Tuffey, Kane.

Ross County: Samson, Irvine, McKinlay, Dowie (McCulloch 46), Webb, Hooks (Gunn 60), Gardyne, Adams, Ciani, Scott, Robertson (Crooks 82).
Unused subs; Malin, Tiernan.