One team in Glasgow Partick Thistle

With the rest of the Reporting Team deservedly destroying a few million collective brain cells at the Player of the Year awards, it fall to this soul to make sense, and a thousand words of the poor fair that was served up in the final fixture of this regular season. Ah well here we go.

The season set under a blazing sun as Thistle took on the Lions at Firhill today. Both teams were already guaranteed First Division football, but beyond that a cloud of uncertainty hung over these organisations. New managers being sought, key players injured and the rest playing for a precious new contract. Hardly a scene for an epic confrontation. While the eyes of the Fates were fixed firmly elsewhere these two teams served up the sort of football that makes you wonder why we all bother at all.

Adam Strachan spurned an early chance when his fairly tame effort was saved by the legs of Craig Wight, but probably the most notable event of the opening minutes was the sight of the Legend Kenny Arthur climbing McMasters Pile behind the goal in search of a misdirected ball. Much of the rest of the half was spent with Thistle doing a good job of ball retention and Livingstone closing quickly to deny the home team space and time time to develop a truly structured attack.

A Thistle corner in the tenth minute saw Boyd header over Strachan’s deep cross. The crowd had to wait a full twenty minutes before former Firhill favourite Dorrans fired in the visitors first attempt in the shape of a weak drive from twenty five yards. Still the Livvy number seven was one of the few who looked up for the fight, with constant running and harrying. Four minutes later Hamill fashioned a good chance which Tuffey did well to stop. His take from the ensuing deep corner was also well dealt with.

At the other end things were not going so smoothly. Following on from an offside decision where Young seemed to have broken free, Wight the Livingston keeper managed to connect with his number three literally and Adamson was felled to the ground by the ensuing clearance. Still the same player was to be the one who made the last significant move of the half with a good run which resulted in a free kick for the visitors. But as was the way with many of the attacks, Dorrans cross was easily taken by Tuffey.

The playing of “Destination Unknown” at half time seemed to sum up the situation perfectly for this game and the more important matters going on elsewhere. If the close-on three thousand spectators thought that things were about to get immediately better then the first move of the second half put that to rest very quickly. The Jags kicked off and Young played the second kick of the period wide and five yards behind Strachan for a Livvy throw in.

Thistle in fact quickly recovered the ball and a long pass from Smith saw Young pushed off the ball in the vicinity of the Livingstone box. Only a minute later there followed a stramash around the same general area when Roberts went down lamely inside the penalty area to which Torrance took exception. Both players were given a stern talking to, about as lively as referee Charlie got all afternoon.

In the fifty second minute a shot from Griffiths was deflected for a corner and the kick which followed saw Ferguson injured and replaced by Brady. Around this time we saw the first of several probing runs down the left wing by Strachan. It might sound mean to say that should the Thistle prospect ever develop a meaty shot or a consistently telling cross then he will be a most dangerous player. Until then he remains a threat in potential only. Good work between Strachan, Young and Roberts saw the latters effort blocked by wight. This was the Thistle top scorers last contribution of the season as he was substituted immediately afterwards.

Livingston were still hanging around and a good move down the right wing saw sub Moles shoot over the bar from the angle of the six yard box. A couple of minutes later a shot from a Livingstone attack almost deceived Tuffey and he had to scramble across his box to make the ball safe. Morrow replaced Billy Gibson as the Jags pushed forward to try and capture all three points, but shots at either end from Young and Dorrans, easily the visitors most active player, were easily dealt with by the respective goalkeepers.

All concerned were relieved to hear the final whistle and the war drums fall silent for another season. Perhaps the most telling sight of the whole proceedings was the sight of Kenny Arthur throw his unused gloves to the ground in the middle of his beloved Firhill as temporary manger Bone and Thistle number one Tuffey embraced just a few yards away.

Post script
On behalf of the Reporting team I’d like to wish all a safe close season. Good manners might compel me to add that it’s been a pleasure to communicate with you but actually it’s hard work especially on days like today when the task is more akin to alchemy than art.

Man of the match:
ADAM STRACHAN - The only one to rise above the level of ordinary was Strachan, although were he still a Thistle player Dorrans would have given him a run for his money. Having said that, instead of heading for Ibiza it might be a good idea for Adam to sign up for David Beckham’s soccer academy to learn somewhat of the art of shooting and crossing. As for whom the rest might sign up with, I leave you all to make up your own minds on.

Thistle: Tuffey 6, Robertson 6, McChrystal 5, Smith 6, Boyd 6, Archibald, 5 Ferguson 5 (Brady 54), Young 6 (Morrow 81), B Gibson 6, Roberts 5 (Russell 60), Strachan 7.
Unused subs; Arthur, Sives.

Livingston: Wight, Thomson, Adamson, Miller, Anderson, McPake, Dorrans, Torrance, Craig (Mole 84), Griffiths (Teggert 66), Hamill.
Unused subs; Monteith, Sinclair, Kerr.