Sunday 14th May, 2023 at 8:39pm
After coming within just a matter of seconds from taking a point from title chasing Celtic seven days earlier, there was further heartbreak for Thistle when they went down to another late winner. This time the winning goal arrived a little earlier with just 4 minutes remaining but that hardly dented the sense of disappointment at the finish.
Although still somewhat depleted Thistle manager Brian Graham was able to welcome back into his starting eleven Megan Cunningham and Rachel Donaldson, while there were places on the bench for Claire Adams and Taylor McGlashan. On the debit side though both Cara Henderson and Linzi Taylor missed this game through suspension.
It was Thistle, the away side in this Petershill Park ‘derby’, that were the first to show an attacking intent. After good work from Imogen Longcake down the right hand side, Abbie Ferguson saw her shot blocked before Rebecca McGowan sent an effort from the edge of the box over the City crossbar.
After that encouraging start from Thistle it was the current league leaders that started to dominate, at least in terms of possession. Thistle though were defending well and restricting any shooting opportunities to largely long range with Cunningham making a couple of fairly routine saves to deny Davidson and one excellent stop to deny Chinchilla.
While the possession stats would certainly have been in City’s favour this was anything but one way traffic with Thistle a real and potent threat when coming forward.
Amy Bulloch’s excellent cross field pass found Donaldson in a threatening position but after getting the ball on to her right foot at the edge of the box she couldn’t get either the pace or curl on her shot to get it past Clachers in the City goal.
A Bulloch corner was flicked on by Jordan McLintock as Thistle grew in confidence and a Leah Robinson free kick, after Donaldson had been crudely fouled, looked destined for the top left corner only for the City keeper the pluck the ball to safety.
At the other end Robinson was close to slicing a Davidson cross into her own net and another Davidson cross just needed a City touch to bring a goal as the title chasers pushed for an opener before half-time.
There were just 4 minutes remaining of the first half when they did take the lead. There was more than a hint of controversy surrounding it with Ferguson looking to be fouled in the build-up before Davidson’s shot beat Cunningham in the Thistle goal.
Despite a narrow first half deficit, and a flurry of activity near the Thistle goal at the start of the second, Thistle remained very much in this game a fact underlined by a chance that came the way of Donaldson after the pace of Longcake down the right helped create the opening. Sadly on this occasion Donaldson sent her shot over the crossbar.
Thistle weren’t to be denied, and on the hour mark they were back on level terms and it was no less than they deserved.
City were never able to effectively clear a Bulloch corner and when they ball was worked back to Bulloch her inch perfect cross was volleyed home at the back post by McGowan.
Thistle were nearly level for no more than a matter of seconds with City’s response seeing Motlhalo strike the bar when she should probably have scored and Chinchilla sending the rebound high into the sky and over the crossbar.
As time wore on there was plenty of pressure on the Thistle goal but no real clear cut chances. Cunningham was well placed to save a Kozak header and Davidson saw an effort deflected just wide but in general Thistle defended well and looked well on course to all but end City’s title hopes.
It was heartbreak again then when City did hit a winner with just four minutes remaining. Chinchilla curling a shot out of the reach of Cunningham and into the net.
There was time left for Donaldson to flash a shot narrowly wide but there would be no Thistle equaliser.
