Partick Thistle WFC v Queens Park WFC – 4th February 2024

Seven days on from confirming a second successive top six finish, Partick Thistle returned to Petershill for their third competition in as many weeks as they faced Queen’s Park in the Women’s Scottish Cup.

The SWPL2 visitors have had a successful season so far, sat top of the table with a ten-point gap over their nearest competition and with a convincing 5-1 win in their last league outing. The previous fixture saw Thistle run out 5-2 victors at New Tinto Park to confirm their place in the next round of the same competition last year and the Jags would be looking to do the same 12 months on.

There was a total of 8 changes to the Thistle side that defeated Montrose last Sunday. Ava Easdon joined Adams, Ferguson, Cowan, McQuillan and Longcake in their return to the starting eleven for the afternoon whilst two of Brian Graham’s January signings in Boyce and McAllister made their first starts for the Red and Yellow.

From kick off, Thistle were dominant in attack, forced the ball into dangerous areas and shut down the opposition to get themselves on the front foot. Their efforts were quickly rewarded as a turn of possession saw the ball make its way across goal and outwards of the box to McQuillan who fired the angled shot that bounded over the heads of the defence and into the bottom corner to give the Jags the lead in the fourth minute of play.

Despite the goal advantage and Thistle being the better side in possession, the opposition weren’t to be ruled out of this cup tie. The game had an end-to-end nature as the Spiders worked to get themselves reinstated back into contention which, when paired with Thistle’s push to claim a second, created an entertaining watch for both sets of fans that had made the visit to Petershill.

Shortly before the half hour mark, the cup tie resumed a deadlock as Queen’s Park broke down the pitch before the ball reached the Spiders’ current top scorer Kane whose sharp shot defeated Easdon and found the back of the net. An even game was reflected in the scoreline as both sides continued to push towards their respective goals before the conclusion of the first half.

With the clock hitting the 45th minute, Thistle began their final attacking press of the half. Worked from the back with a series of passes that saw them make use of the entire playing surface, the ball was eventually played from the cross on the right-hand side to Boyce who calmly slotted the ball beyond the Queen’s Park keeper to not only claim her first Partick Thistle goal but give the Jags the lead in the final action of the half.

With the elements worsening around Petershill, a triple substitution from the Jags saw Bulloch, Taylor and Hay enter play and immediately insert their presence across the right-hand side. The rain didn’t hamper the level of play however as both sides hosted their share of opportunities, both denied by the respective defences as the closely contested cup tie rolled over the hour.

The continual press and introduction of Donaldson and Henderson from Thistle had left the visitors working more defensively for a considerable period before they were able to find a break in space. Having been successful in this led to their successive long-range efforts towards Easdon’s goal, the latter forcing the Thistle number 1 to punch behind at the top corner. Undeterred by the attack, the Jags set on the counter, their series of passes left the ball in the box before it was swiftly collected by the Queens Park goal stopper. The intensity refused to falter in the final minutes as Queen’s kept their possession and forced the close range save before the final press in this action filled five minutes was rewarded with the goal in Thistle’s favour.

With two minutes from time, Thistle began their next charge towards goal, with a foul in the process that awarded the Jags a free kick from distance. Sent in towards the box by Bulloch and unable to be grabbed by McGregor, the ball fell to Henderson to lift high into the goal for the striker’s 10th of the season and with a strong goal cushion to the next round in the last moments of the tie.

The sounding of the referee’s whistle confirmed Partick Thistle’s place in the next round of the Women’s Scottish Cup in a closely fought match that served up opportunities for both sides in the less-than-ideal elements. There’s little time to celebrate however as the Jags find themselves back in league action on Wednesday as they travel to face the Spartans, kick off 19:45.

Partick Thistle: Easdon, Lawton, Falconer, Adams (Henderson), McAllister (Taylor), Ferguson, Cowan, McQuillan (Hay), Boyce, Longcake (Donaldson), Sinclair (Bulloch)