Sat 12 December, 2020
SPFL League One 
Station Park, Forfar
Shea Gordon (52), Ross Docherty (78)
SPFL League One
Sat 12 December, 2020. Kick Off: - 15:00
Station Park, Forfar
In line with Scottish Government guidelines, this match is a closed doors match.
Any live streams and streaming arrangements for Thistle away games are provided and delivered by the home club with no involvement from the Partick Thistle F.C. media team.
Matchday Coverage:
Live Stream
Our hosts, Forfar Athletic, are offering a live stream option for away fans priced at £12.
For full information on how to purchase your pay-per-view pass, click here.
Audio Commentary
Audio Commentary will be available for supporters on JagZone.
The JagZoneLIVE show will get underway at 2:30pm with all the build-up to kick-off. Tune in to hear Michael Max and Christopher Dobie take you through the ninety minutes of action.
We’ll have another half-time Jags interview with a member of the first team squad to get their thoughts on the season so far and what’s to come.
Pre-Match
JagZone: JagZone subscribers will be able to watch an exclusive interview with a member of the Thistle management team. We’ll also grab a chat with a member of the Jags squad.
Free To Read: There will be written previews published on ptfc.co.uk from a member of the Jags management with a player also providing their thoughts ahead of the clash at Station Park.
In Game Coverage
There will be no text commentary available on ptfc.co.uk. Key updates will be available via our Twitter channel – @PartickThistle
Post Match
JagZone: JagZone subscribers will be able to watch an exclusive chat with Thistle gaffer Ian McCall shortly after the full time whistle.
A full game replay will follow at 10pm with comprehensive highlights package, alongside our “Just The Goals” collection, to follow at midnight.
These timings are due to SPFL holdback restrictions
Free To Read: Read the written thoughts of a member of the Thistle management team shortly after the full time whistle.
A written match report will also be published within 48 hours of the full time whistle.
Half Time 50/50 draw
Tickets are on sale for our 50/50 draw which will be conducted at half time during Saturday’s match. Tickets are available to purchase until 3:30 on Saturday afternoon.
Click here to purchase 50/50 tickets
During a unique but exciting season we are looking forward to bringing you extensive matchday coverage throughout the campaign. Due to the current exceptional circumstances, our coverage may change or be impacted if a member of our media team is required to self-isolate at short notice. We thank you for your understanding and patience around this situation.
After a frustrating home draw with Dumbarton last weekend, Partick Thistle look to get back to winning ways with a trip to Station Park to face Forfar Athletic in League One this Saturday. The Jags weren’t able to make the most of their complete control over the game against the Sons as the two sides shared the points in a goalless stalemate, denying the Maryhill men a chance to record a third consecutive league victory. This week’s opponents, Forfar, sit bottom of the division but did get their first win of the league campaign in their last game, against Peterhead a fortnight ago. Jags assistant manager Alan Archibald spoke to ptfc.co.uk ahead of the clash:
“The lads are still full of confidence. Of course, we were very disappointed not to get the win against Dumbarton but the team gave it their all and we’re just looking forward to playing this game now. Our last away game at Montrose was a good victory with a very impressive clean sheet so we’re hoping to get the same result against Forfar.”
Looking back on last Saturday’s draw, Archie says the Jags have to be more clinical in front of goal to make sure they turn possession into points.
“That’s the main lesson from the game at the weekend, we have to put our chances away. Obviously the penalty was a big moment but I felt like we created plenty after that to go and win the game comfortably.
“Another thing we took from it was that we need to work the goalie more because he didn’t have that much to do considering how many great areas we got into, particularly with Ryan Williamson and Joe Cardle down the right hand side, so we want to make sure we make the most of every time we get in behind the opposition defence.”
On a more positive note, the clean sheet the Jags kept against Jim Duffy’s side represented their fourth on the bounce and Alan says the management team have been really pleased by the defensive showings in recent weeks.
“We’ve been absolutely delighted with how the defence has been playing. Apart from the Morton game, Kieran Wright has had very little to do actually which is a credit to the guys in front of him. It’s not always easy in games where you have lots of the ball because you can sometimes get caught on the breakaway but we’ve kept it very tight recently.
“That was a pleasing aspect of the Dumbarton game. We never really looked in danger of conceding and we were winning a lot of 50/50 balls in the middle of the park to keep us on the attack so we just need to continue that this week.”
Like Dumbarton last week, Forfar are coming into their game against Thistle off the back of a free weekend and Archibald says that makes it a bit more difficult to predict how they’re going to set up.
“It means we don’t have footage of them from last week to watch which is a bit frustrating and also having that extra bit of time might be good for some of their injured players because I think they had quite a few out like us.
“From our perspective, we just have to focus on ourselves and carry the same application and tempo that we showed last weekend into this game.”
Despite the Loons sitting bottom of the League One table at the moment, Archie knows you can’t take any team in the division lightly.
“This is a league where nothing can be taken for granted. There will be teams who play really poorly one week and then the next week go and get a win you wouldn’t have expected so we know we’ll have to be at the top of our game to come away from Station Park with all three points.”
More exclusive preview interviews with Thistle assistant manager Alan Archibald and Joe Cardle are now available for JagZone subscribers to watch – log in to view.
JagZone subscribers will be able to tune in to live audio commentary for this weekend’s clash with Forfar – click here to tune in.
We’ll also have extended highlights and a full game replay of our trip to Station Park on JagZone this Saturday evening.
Article Copyright © 2020. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
Partick Thistle were looking to bounce back from a disappointing draw against Dumbarton last Saturday as they travelled to Angus to take on Forfar this afternoon. Despite registering over 20 shot against the Sons, Thistle had to settle for a point at Firhill as they lost ground on league leaders Falkirk but had the chance to get back to winning ways against a Loons side which came into the game at the bottom of the League One table.
Ian McCall made no changes to the starting XI for the trip to Station Park though there were a few additions to the bench. On-loan Rangers defender Rhys Breen returned from injury to make the squad and two Thistle Weir youth academy prospects were named among the substitutes for the first time as James Lyon and Billy Owens were listed on the bench.
It took less than a minute for the first chance of the game to present itself as Connor Murray found some joy in behind the hosts’ rear-guard. The number 17 latched onto a high ball over the top and found space to cut the ball back to James Penrice. Unfortunately the number three’s right-footed shot was blocked and when Brian Graham got to the loose ball his shot was blocked too, for a corner this time.
It was the 20th minute before we saw more dangerous attacking football for either side in a game that had become quite bitty. Murray was involved again as a cross into the box eventually fell to him, 15 yards from goal. He manoeuvred away from one defender and let fly but his effort was parried well by Forfar ‘stopper Marc McCallum.
After 34 minutes Forfar very easily could have taken the lead through a rare Kieran Wright error. A low cross came into the box and the young ‘keeper stooped to collect, however, he wasn’t able to gather properly. Archie Thomas was the closest Sky Blues player and he got a leg to the ball but could only divert it wide, presumably caught off guard by the opportunity which arose out of nothing.
There were a few half chances for the away side towards the end of the first period with three falling to Brian Graham. Firstly, the striker went up to challenge for a corner with the hosts’ goalkeeper which forced McCallum to drop the ball. It fell near Graham but, off balance and still landing from his jump, he was unable to hit the target.
Then, a deep cross into the box from the right flank found Thistle’s number nine in the box. This time Graham seemed to be slightly ahead of the ball and could only send it high and wide of the goal.
Finally, Graham and Docherty’s combined pressure at the edge of the Jags’ box forced a quick turnover and allowed the visitors to break in numbers. Docherty followed Graham into the opposing half as the ex-Raith man carried the ball onwards but as they approached the opposing box Graham decided to take a shot at goal. He tried a low effort but McCallum was well-placed to get his body behind it and make a simple save.
Coming out for the second half, the Jags were on the front foot again and tested Marc McCallum within a minute of the restart. Ryan Williamson made the run down the right wing and managed to get a ball into the box which bounced all the way through to James Penrice on the left-hand side of the box. Penrice then took time to set himself before firing a shot goalwards but the goalkeeper was equal to it and was able to beat the effort away from danger.
The pressure from the Maryhill men would finally tell in the 52nd minute when Shea Gordon opened the scoring with his first goal of the season. James Penrice was the creator as he received the ball on the left and waited for Richard Foster’s overlapping run to create a bit of space to deliver his cross. Penrice’s delivery found the head of Shea Gordon perfectly and the number 14 made no mistake with a powerful header from close range which the ‘keeper got a hand to but couldn’t keep out.
Thistle searched for a second as the match entered the final 20 minutes with James Penrice and Brian Graham both seeing shots saved, however, Ross Docherty finally doubled the advantage in the 78th minute with his first Jags goal. Stuart Bannigan fed the ball forward to Shea Gordon who in turn played it on to Ross Docherty who had made a burst into the box. He took it in his stride and curled a lovely finish into the bottom corner to give his side a cushion going into the final ten minutes of the match.
There wasn’t much to talk about thereafter as Thistle saw the game out professionally but there was a special moment for James Lyon as he made his first team debut, replacing James Penrice in injury time.
Next up for the Jags is a meeting with Peterhead next Saturday back at Firhill.
Partick Thistle made it six games undefeated this afternoon as they beat Forfar Athletic 2-0 in League One action. Following a goalless first half the Jags produced a much-improved display post-interval with Shea Gordon scoring the opener after 52 minutes having replaced the injured Connor Murray earlier in the contest. Skipper Ross Docherty added a second with just over ten minutes to play as the midfielder notched his first goal for the club to make things slightly more comfortable as full-time approached. Thistle gaffer Ian McCall spoke to ptfc.co.uk following the end of the game:
“We controlled most of that game and goals have been hard to come by for us recently but we got two good ones today. I think again we could have had more but we created much more against Dumbarton last week and scored none so I’m really pleased to get those two goals and the three points.
“It wasn’t an easy game at all and I’m proud of the way the boys stuck with it and got that win. We’ve still got seven or eight guys out at the moment but we’re hoping to have a couple back in training next week at least and hopefully we’ll be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as far as injuries go.”
The teams were level at the break but Ian says his message was simple for the squad at half-time.
“I just told them to keep doing what they were doing really. To make sure they weren’t panicking or getting too frustrated as well and to move the ball a bit better. I think Stuart Bannigan and Ross Docherty were slightly off it in the first half so we wanted to get them more involved and you could see them influencing the game a lot more in the second half.
“We wanted to see more bodies in the box and today we had four or five guys trying to get in there and score a goal. We’re very happy with the result and that’s now five clean sheets in a row which is a great achievement. We’re now up to second too and we’re hoping that we’ll only get stronger when the injured boys start returning.”
The gaffer gave praise to the defence as he spoke a bit more on their run of shutouts.
“Sena, Darren Brownlie and Richard Foster have all been great. I think that they get great protection as well from the two in front of the defence so we’re really happy with that side of things. We want to be scoring more goals to take a little bit of the pressure off the guys at the back but obviously the longer this run of clean sheets goes on the better.”
“It’s another game where Kieran Wright hasn’t had much to do but, after we went two up, he had a save to make at his near post and he dealt with it well. There’s not been much for him to do over the past few games but he did well with that one today because it would have been a nervy finish to the game if it had gone in.”
The Jags’ last three goals have all come from players bagging their first of the campaign and Ian has been pleased to see different members of the squad chipping in on that front.
“To be honest, Ross Docherty should already be on about five for the season; he’s missed a few good chances but it was a terrific goal he scored. He just let it run across him and then he, in his words, Thierry Henry’d it into the bottom corner so it’s great for him to get off the mark.
“As for Shea’s, that was sort of a trademark goal for him with the way he found space in the box. It was a great header and a great ball from James Penrice who we felt was excellent in the second half.”
Thistle Weir Youth Academy graduate James Lyon made his first team debut as an injury time substitute and the gaffer gave a word to Lyon as well as Billy Owen, both of whom came into the matchday squad for the first time this weekend.
“Both James and Billy have been training with us and I think they look like good players. They’ve worked hard and earned their place in the squad today and if they keep that up they’ll get opportunities. James got on the pitch this afternoon but they’re both good kids and hopefully we’ll see more from them in the future.”
A further reaction interview with Thistle gaffer Ian McCall and Shea Gordon will be available for JagZone subscribers to watch – log in to view.
We’ll also have extended highlights and a full game replay of today’s match on JagZone this evening.
Article Copyright © 2020. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
Ross Docherty adds a second goal with a well-placed finish from Shea Gordon's pass into the box.
Shea Gordon puts the Jags ahead with a powerful header from six yards. James Penrice provided the assist.