SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership
Fri 23 December, 2016. Kick Off: - 19:45
Global Energy Stadium, Dingwall
Supporter Information:
Ticket information is currently unavailable.
Supporters’ Buses:
City Centre Branch:
Pick ups:
Q Club – 13:20
Station Bar – 13:30
Non members welcome.
Please call 07979496154 to book.
Jordanhill Branch:
Sharing with North-West Branch
Pick ups:
Jordanhill Station – 14:55
Prices:
£25 for adults
£15 for concessions
£30 for a parent and child
All Jags fans are welcome but booking is essential.
For seats please contact Alistair on 07817612563 or email
For general enquires please contact Iain on 07779668357 or email
North-West Branch:
Sharing with Jordanhill Branch
Pick ups:
Milngavie Station -14:30
Esquire House – 14:45
Maryhill Community Halls – 15:10
Prices:
£25 for adults
£15 for concessions.
A concession qualifies as school aged children, unwaged adults, senior citizens & matriculated students
With Storm Barbara bearing down on the north of Scotland ahead of Thistle’s clash with Ross County on Friday night Alan Archibald wasn’t letting the weather take his focus off a very important match for his team. The Thistle gaffer spoke to ptfc.co.uk ahead of the clash and started off by commenting on the conditions.
“As far as we’re concerned the game is on as scheduled, I don’t think the pitch will be a worry it’s just the forecasted conditions for travelling up that will be the issue but the weather changes all the time so we just need to plan that the game is on and go from there. I hope it is because we’re hungry to get a win after a couple of good performances that didn’t lead to the results we would have liked.
“We’ve made it up there before and had the game called off so I just hope we can get it on. We’ll stay in touch during the journey and see what happens. In terms of how it affects your play it does make it more difficult for the keeper and the defenders but it’s the same for both sides so we’ll just need to approach it on the night and see what happens.”
With the games coming thick and fast, Archie insists that no matter what the conditions, his team will be ready and raring to go come kick off on Friday night.
“We’re good to go and we don’t have any suspensions or new injuries so we’re looking forward to it. For all we lost against Celtic the other night the boys took a lot of positives from it and are really set to take those into the next match.”
Thistle went to Celtic Park and created probably as many chances as any side has done there so far this season and following on from Tynecastle last weekend there is certainly no shortage of creative threat in red and yellow. That being said, Archibald knows his side have to start taking chances and really putting teams to the sword if they are to start moving up the table.
“We’ve been creating chances and I’d be much more worried if that wasn’t the case. We’ve not had much luck recently but we need to keep being positive and ensure that changes sooner rather than later. I would much rather we were playing well and missing chances than playing badly and not creating them. If we keep playing like we have been the breaks will come but it has certainly been frustrating in the meantime.
“We’ve spoken to the boys through the week and we’ll put the disappointment of not taking something from Tuesday night and we are now entirely focussed on Friday night. It’s a good opportunity for us and we need to be taking points from these games against the teams around us.”
It was pure elation for the hardy 160 Jags fans who braved the conditions to travel north to Dingwall for Friday night’s clash with Ross County, as their dedication was rewarded with a well-deserved 3-1 victory.
Despite the side’s lowly position in the league, Alan Archibald has at no point lost faith in his side’s ability to get results when it matters most. That faith was repaid at the Global Energy Stadium. The gaffer spoke to ptfc.co.uk shortly after full time to give his thoughts on the contest.
Archie said: “I’m delighted, absolutely delighted. Despite the scoreline it was a really tough game tonight against a really good side. The conditions made it pretty tough but I thought we managed them really well and I don’t feel the weather caused us too many problems.
“It was a really tight first half and we knew the first goal was always going to be key. There weren’t many chances, just a few shots from distance, and it was vital that we made the first proper chance count. In recent games we haven’t been able to grab that and it has cost us so it was superb to see big Liam rise for that first one. I thought we did ever so well after that and dominated the second half.”
It wasn’t just going forward where the Jags dominated though and the back four looked very comfortable throughout.
“I think we’ve been resolute at the back tonight and that gave us a platform to go and build on. The lads kept a very potent strike force pretty quiet which was great to see.
“Tonight really needed us to battle and grind out the result and that’s exactly what the boys did. The only real negative was their goal but the other side of that is that Tomas Cerny had an absolutely fantastic save at a really crucial time so we won’t be too critical.”
The win saw Thistle rise four places in the table, the importance of which Archibald was not going to underestimate – especially with Christmas fast approaching.
“Nobody wants to be bottom at Christmas so it is a big boost to lift ourselves out of that position tonight. We have two home games in a row now before the winter break so we just need to look to go and build on tonight’s result and make sure we don’t lose the momentum that we’ve built up.
“Wednesday against Dundee will be a tough one and it’s important that we stay level headed and go into that match with a good positive attitude. We never got too down when we lost and we won’t get too high after that win. We will keep doing what we are doing and hopefully we can really progress from here on in.”
Fri 23 December, 2016
SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership 
Global Energy Stadium, Dingwall
And that's it -a superb win for the Jags which makes the long journey feel worthwhile. An excellent second half saw Thistle dominate play and the win was well deserved.
Goals from Lindsay, Doolan and Erskine send Thistle off the bottom of the league!
We wish all Jags fans a very merry Christmas!
Three minutes of added time to be played here.
Chris Erskine is Jagzone's man of the match tonight.
A few nerves creeping in for Thistle as County get another chance with a shot lashed just wide of the post.
And there goes the clean sheet! A great cross finds Liam Boyce at the back post who heads powerfully past Tomas Cerny. 1-3
A deflected County shot goes out for a corner but it comes to nothing.
And the Squid gets the goal his play has so richly deserved, Picking the ball up in the County area the number 10 has dropped his shoulder and rifled past Fox.
Attendance tonight is 2,935. A massive thanks to the 161 Jags fans who made the journey tonight. Hopefully they'll all be going home happy.
Ross COunty exploit a massive gap in the Thistle defence but a fantastic last ditch tackle from Liam Lindsay prevents an almost certain Staggies goal.
Erskine is next to have a go and a very forceful shot is well saved by Fox.
Ryan Edwards has gone very close a few times in recent games but that shot wasn't the best as it sailed high and wide. We blame the wind.
Chris Erskine is really turning on the style now. A couple of lovely flicks and one twos with Lawless. Looking more and more dangerous as the half goes on.
A fast break from County almost pulls one back for the home side and but for a magnificent save from Cerny it almost certainly would have done. Thistle guilty of sleeping there.
Persistence from the corner sees another brilliant ball from Sean Welsh headed powerfully home by Doolan.
Great pay by Thistle earms the visitors a corner from Booth's cross.
Marcus Fraser gets on the end of a long ball, just managing to keep it in play. his lashed shot come cross is wild though and ends up out for a throw.
County take a free kick deep in the Thistle half, it's looped into the box but Boyce's header is wel over the bar.
Welsh's corner gets caught in the wind and ends with a free kick for the home side.
And Thistle take the lead! A fantastic corner from Welsh finds Lindsay in the middle of the box and the big centre half powers his header home in very decisive fashion. Jags lead and it is definitely deserved! 0-1
And that's the first half finished. The game started off slow but picked up pace and the jags had some good chances. The wind has definitely had its imact on the game though with any balll higher than the stand being blown all over the place.
Plenty of positives for the visitors though and Erskine's shot is definitely the best chance of the game so far. Still no goals though and it remains 0-0 at the break.
Great cross from Booth finds Welsh at the back post but he can't keep his header down. Some good stuff from Thistle so far but a goal for the visitors now would be very nice....
Another shot for Thistle, this time from Lawless but he perhaps had better options and Fox catches comfortably.
Best chance of the game so far falls to Thistle. A fantastic ball to Doolan on the edge of the box from Lindsay allows the number 9 to lay it off for Erskine. Erskine drops his shoulder and hits a wicked shot which Fox does very well to save. Edwards followed up with a header but couldn't trouble the keeper.
Tony Dingwall is given far too much time and is allowed to advance 20 yards with the ball before getting a shot away. Luckily it's a tame hit and Cerny collects. A warning shot for the Jags though.
Thistle win a free kick just inside the County half.
Dangerous stuff from County as a free kick is looped in and the County player wins the first and second headers. The Thistle defence compose themselves well though and get the bal clear.
First bit of sustained pressure for Thistle as the ball stays around the County box for a minute or two. Great play but unfortunately the visitors can't craft a genuine opportunity.
Lawless gets a low cross to the edge of the area but Wlesh can't find enough space to get a real shot away. A wind assisted Fox kick almost causes Thistle problems immediately after but Lindsay is able to hook it clear.
There's a good tempo to this game but real chances have been at a premium so far with neither keepr really having had much to deal with.
Welsh hits a great corner but Lindsay can only get a glancing header wide having made a superb run into the box.
Doolan gets on the end of a Thistle long ball and does well to win a corner from his cross.
Super work by Erskine as he creates himself a bit of space in the middle of the park before moving wide and whipping in a brilliant cross. Such a shame that nobody could connect.
First shot for Thistle, but Welsh's effort is well over the bar.
Mistake by Booth gives County a chance in the Thistle box but it's well blocked.
A more dangerous looking shot for County, this time from Routis, but the low fizzing effort is comfortably wide of Cerny's post.
Comes to nothing.
First shot of the game goes to County but Boyce's shot is hig and wide of the target from outside of the box.
An early sign of the conditions there as Cerny clears his ball and it holds up in the air and almost ens up blowing backwards!
Just about ready for kick off here in a very wet and windy Dingwall. Three changes for Thistle as the Jags go for a win against County.