SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership
Sat 16 December, 2017. Kick Off: - 15:00
Dens Park, Dundee
Supporters’ Buses:
City Centre Branch:
Pick ups:
Q Club – 10:50
Station Bar – 11:00
Non members welcome.
Please call 07979496154 or email to book.
Jordanhill Branch:
Pick ups:
Jordanhill – 12:30
Thornwood Bar – 12:35
Prices:
£16 for adults
£8 for concessions
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:
Pick ups:
Milngavie Station – 12:00
Esquire House – 12:20
Maryhill Community Halls – 12:30
Prices:
£17 for adults
£10.50 for concessions.
Thistle’s win on Wednesday night may not have been one for the anxious fan but the three points stayed in Maryhill and that was what mattered for Thistle. While Alan Archibald did admit to having felt the nerves he made it clear the the team were taking the positives from it when he spoke to ptfc.co.uk after training on Friday.
“It was a nervy one on Wednesday and I think everyone in the stadium felt that as we got closer to full time. I think especially when the second one went in there was a bit of worry. Having said that, you have to give credit where credit is due and Motherwell were very good in the second half. They’re a good team and they are strong from set pieces which is how they hurt us. Don’t get me wrong though, we still didn’t do well enough defending those opportunities.
“At the end of the day it was all about the three points and everyone was delighted that we saw it through – despite the nerves.”
The victory took the Jags to within a point of Saturday’s opponents, Dundee, and the tight nature of the league is not something that is lost on the Thistle boss.
“I think there are only nine points between seven teams or something, and although there are may be four or five of us involved down the bottom at the moment that can all change and can change ever so quickly. The only way you can guarantee to be out of the scrap is by getting in that top six and we found that out last year.
“The beauty of this league is that we could go off the bottom on Saturday. Things change so quickly, especially at this time of year with so many games. As long as we’re in touch and not getting cut adrift there’s that opportunity to get back in with the pack.”
Thistle already have one win against Dundee this season but as Archie pointed out, the result probably doesn’t tell the full story of the match.
“It’s going to be a tough task. Anyone who was at the game against Dundee earlier in the season will tell you that they were very good that day and we were poor. We got out of jail with two late goals but we can’t let it get to that stage again and we must do better. Regardless of previous results, we know it is going to b a very tough task.
“When you win games it breeds confidence – there’s no doubt about that – hopefully we can take that boost into Saturday after Wednesday night. A couple of wins can change the whole complexion of things and that has been the way the league has worked for a couple of years now. We need to build a run of results and hopefully we can do that between now and the end of the year.
“It’s always the same at this stage in the season – all the teams play all the teams around each other and something has to give. We just need to make sure that, at the end of the period, we come out on top and can look to the New Year with a real positivity.”
Martin Woods made his first start for the Jags on Wednesday and had a clear impact on the game, with his experience shining through. Although the midfielder was forced off shortly after the hour Archibald is under no illusions as to how important the former Ross County man could be to the rest of the season.
“We’ll need to see how Martin Woods is doing. He went down with cramp in the second half and he was feeling sore earlier in the week but we’re hopeful that he can be involved. The problem with Martin is that he just hasn’t played enough football recently and those fitness levels take time to build up. We don’t want to push him too much and potentially lose him for longer as his experience is invaluable to us at the moment. Other than that we have the same players available as Wednesday.”
More exclusive preview interviews with Blair Spittal and Jags gaffer, Alan Archibald, are now available to Jagzone subscribers – log in now to see them.
New Jagzone subscribers can get their first month absolutely FREE. Click here to find out more
Jagzone members will also be able to watch extended highlights of the game.
Can’t make it to the Dens Park? Jagzone members can listen to live audio commentary of the match. JagZoneLIVE begins at 2:30pm on Saturday.
For a full list of all the great content you can access from just £5.99 per month as a Jagzone member, click here.
Article Copyright © 2017. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
Partick Thistle aimed to build on their first win since October with a trip to Dens Park to take on 11th placed Dundee. The Jags aimed for a second win of the season over the Tayside team knowing a victory would take them off the bottom of the table, above the day’s opponents.
Alan Archibald made no changes to the team who overcame the challenge of Motherwell during the week. Martin Woods retained his place in the Jags midfield despite being forced off the park less than hour into his first Thistle start. The strike force remained the same for the away side with Conor Sammon and Miles Storey looking to continue their positive connections from Wednesday night.
Dundee came flying out of the traps and Tomas Cerny was forced into some early action after three minutes. A low cross from the Dundee left moved towards the front post and Thistle’s stand-in skipper, Daniel Devine made a move for it. The defender waved a leg at the ball but only deflected the cross towards his own goal. Luckily for Devine, Cerny was on his toes and produced a good save to keep the ball out before Jordan Turnbull headed the ball away.
The hosts continued their impressive start and after 17 minutes found a breakthrough. Sofien Moussa received the ball in the box and moved wide after a couple of step-overs. However, Daniel Devine made a lunge, taking Moussa down and the referee Greg Aitken pointed to the spot. The man who won the penalty took the kick and Sofien Moussa placed it home, sending Cerny the wrong way to give Dundee the lead.
After a period of sustained Thistle possession that lacked penetration, the Dee would double their lead on the counter. A quick turnover in possession from the home side got the ball to A-Jay Leitch-Smith in the Jags area. The Englishman’s low shot was saved by the legs of Tomas Cerny but the ball fell directly to Mark O’Hara who, after taking a touch, slammed the ball into the goal making it 2-0.
Half chances for Miles Storey, Faissal El Bakhtaoui and Ryan Edwards followed but the game would reach the half way point with no further goals. Thistle found themselves two goals behind despite having much more of the ball. The game had highlighted the problems that have plagued the Jags’ season so far. A lot of possession but no incision and frailty at the back left the visitors with a lot of work to do.
Alan Archibald did make a half time substitution to try to shake things up as Chris Erskine replaced Miles Storey. The Jags then made another two changes within 15 minutes of the second half. Steven Lawless replaced Martin Woods and Kris Doolan came on for Conor Sammon.
The changes were to no avail, however, as the hosts made it three in the 64th minute. As Steven Lawless attempted to deal with a high ball it ricocheted off him and fell towards Daniel Devine. Then when Devine looked to clear, he slipped, slicing the ball straight to Cammy Kerr. Thistle’s number 15, Devine then tried to rectify his error but in his attempts to do so, he brought down Cammy Kerr in the box and the penalty was given. Once again, it was Sofien Moussa stepping up to strike the spot kick and once again he converted from 12 yards, sending Cerny the wrong way for the second time and finding the same corner as he did in the first half.
Mark O’Hara then went close to a Dundee fourth in the 71st minute. He picked the ball up in the Thistle half and unleashed a rasping shot from distance. He struck it sweetly but the attempt rifled just wide of the Thistle goal.
O’Hara nearly scored again with 16 minutes left as he searched for his brace. The number 14 took a shot as he moved wide of the goal, firing from an angle. His effort found the target but Tomas Cerny produced an excellent save to turn the ball behind.
That would prove to be the final chance of the game as the referee blew for full time with the score at 3-0. The loss leaves Thistle two points below 11th place which is now occupied by Ross County with Dundee moving up the table after their victory.
Alan Archibald’s Jags now look to Wednesday night as a chance for retribution as they face the monumental challenge of a trip to Parkhead to take on Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic. Kick-off is 19:45 from Celtic Park.
THISTLE TEAM: Cerny, McGinn, Devine (c), Keown, Turnbull, Spittal, Barton, Woods (Lawless, 55′), Edwards, Sammon (Doolan, 60′), Storey (Erskine, 45′)
THISTLE SUBS (N/U): Scully, Nitriansky, McCarthy, Nisbet.
DUNDEE TEAM: Parish, Kerr (c), Hendry, Meekings, Aurtenetxe, McGowan, Kamara, El Bakhtaoui (Allan, 65′), O’Hara (Curran, 88′), Leitch-Smith, Moussa (Haber, 74′).
DUNDEE SUBS (N/U): Ferrie, Holt, O’Dea, Henvey.
Article Copyright © 2017. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
Partick Thistle looked to build on a midweek victory over Motherwell with a trip to Dens Park to face fellow strugglers Dundee. Thistle had the chance to secure back-to-back league wins for the first time this season and knew that a win would take them off the foot of the league table and above this afternoon’s opponents. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be for the Jags as they were defeated 3-0 by Neil McCann’s Dark Blues. Two penalty goals from Sofien Moussa on either side of a Mark O’Hara strike saw the hosts take the three points to move further clear of bottom placed Thistle. Jags boss, Alan Archibald spoke to ptfc.co.uk following the match.
Archie started by expressing his disappointment in his side’s inability to really take the game to Dundee at any stage of the match.
“We never really got on the front foot. Our start was poor and I think maybe some of the boys just presumed we’d start well as we did in midweek but it doesn’t work like that in football. You’ve got to work hard and win the individual battles which we struggled with today.”
With the incentive of getting off the bottom of the table there for the Jags, Alan was surprised that his side didn’t show more during the 90 minutes.
“We’ve told the boys over and over again that if we don’t start winning more consistently, especially in games against teams around us, then we’ll be cut adrift. In these games, we often have a fair bit of the ball but we don’t look incisive in possession and we look vulnerable without it which is obviously a dreadful combination. At the moment, a lot of the goals we are conceding are just silly individual mistakes that you can’t legislate for and we have to cut those errors out of our game.”
The gaffer also discussed the formational change that he made very early in the match as his side switched from a 5-3-2 to a 4-2-3-1 in the first half.
“I felt we needed to change. We were struggling with the long ball to the striker and the spare runners through the middle. It gave us a bit more solidity and support out wide but left us open to the counter which cost us for the second goal.”
Alan Archibald and his players now look ahead to a tough trip to Celtic Park on Wednesday night as the Jags look to take something from the treble-winning Celts. Kick-off is 19:45 at Parkhead.
A more in depth video interview with Alan Archibald is available now to Jagzone subscribers and will be followed by reaction from Adam Barton. Log in now to see it as soon as it is available.
New Jagzone subscribers can get their first month absolutely FREE. Click here to find out more
Jagzone subscribers can rewatch the full 90 minutes soon.
Highlights will be added shortly and will be free for Jagzone subscribers.
For a full list of all the great content you can access from just £5.99 per month as a Jagzone member, click here.
Article Copyright © 2017. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
Sat 16 December, 2017
SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership 
Dens Park, Dundee
Scott Allan picks the ball up in space and unleashes a rasping shot but it flies wide of the near post.
The JagZoneLIVE Man of the Match is Ryan Edwards.
Doolan's cross is blocked behind.
Mark O'Hara forces an excellent save from Tomas Cerny with an effort from an angle.
A powerful O'Hara shot from range goes just past the post.
Moussa fids the net again from 12 yards, finishing into the same corner of the net.
Devine gives away another spot kick after a costly slip in the box.
After good interplay with Kris Doolan, Blair Spittal lifts a great ball to the back post. Chris Erskine is in space and heads it back across goal but as Ryan Edwards moves to tap home, the ball is cleared.
Thistle's number four is booked for a late challnge on Dundee captain, Cammy Kerr.
Erskine lashes a left-footed shot high into the stands from 25 yards.
The consequent corner is headed wide by Moussa.
Moussa is played the ball in the Jags' area and shoots on the spin but a combination of Cerny and Keown turns the ball away.
Martin Woods sees a looped effort go well off target from the edge of the area.
A change during the break for Thistle as Erskine comes on for story. The ex-Dundee United man, Erskine, is welcomed onto the park by a chorus of boos from the home side's fans.
Conor Sammon beats his man on the left wing and delivers a low cross into the box. Ryan Edwards is there to meet it but he's sliding and stretching and can't find the target.
Miles Storey jinks inside from the left flank and curls a poor effort on goal which Parish easily holds.
El Bakhtaoui fires a dipping shot on goal from 25 yards but Tomas Cerny is able to turn it aroud the post.
Miles Storey's whipped cross from the Thistle right ricochets to Ryan Edwards. The Australian shoots first time but it's blocked by a Dundee defender.
Miles Storey fires a low left-footed shot wide of the target from 20 yards.
Dundee break quickly, A-Jay Leitch-Smith sees a low shot saved by Tomas Cerny but it falls to Mark O'Hara and the number 14 slams home from close range.
Dundee's number nine is cautioned for an accumulation of fouls.
Moussa gets to Mark O'Hara's cross from the right but heads a few yards over Tomas Cerny's goal.
Martin Woods takes a shot from 25 yards but his effort is high and wide of the target.
Woods' corner finds Barton at the back post but the midfielder heads well over the bar.
Dundee break from kick-off and A-Jay Leitch Smith sees a blasted effort deflect over the bar.
The man who won the spot kick steps up and confidently slots home, sending Cerny the wrong way.
Devine takes Moussa down in the box and the referee points to the spot.
After some strong early pressure from Dundee, Alan Archibald has changed his side's formation from the 5-3-2 to more of a 4-2-3-1 with Conor Sammon and Blair Spittal on the Wings and Edwards in behind Miles Storey.
Conor Sammon latches onto a Tomas Cerny punt and evades the challnge of Jon Aurtenetxe. He then hits a half-volley but it rifles right off his markers chest and away.
A low cross from the Dundee left goes towards the near post. Daniel Devine makes a move for it but the ball kicks up off the centre-half and forces a good save out of Tomas Cerny before Turnbull heads clear.
McGowan breaks in behind Adam Abrton and getrs to the byline. He tries to square it but the ball is cleared. Thistle then go up the other end where Ryan Edwards gets the ball caught under his feet after Sammon pikced him out with a touch down.
Hello and welcome to the ptfc.co.uk live text commentary for today's Ladbrokes Premiership meeting between Partick Thistle and Dundee at Dens Park.
The Jags come into the clash off the back of a vital midweek victory over Motherwell and knowing that victory this afternoon would lift them off the foot of the league table above their opponents.
Alan Archibald makes no changes to the side who defeated the Steelmen during the week as he sticks with the winnig formula. Martin Woods retains his place in the Jags midfield despite being forced off the park less than hour into his first Thistle start. The strikeforce remains the sam with Conor Sammon and Miles Storey looking to continue their positive connections from Wednesday night.
The team's are now out warming up and kick-off is just over ten minutes away.