Sunday 20th October, 2024 at 7:00pm
Rounding out a testing October for Partick Thistle was a return to their usual residence to take on Queens Park at Petershill as Brian Graham’s side searched to return to winning ways.
Last season’s SWPL2 winners have struggled to adapt to life in the top league, coming into the match losing their previous 6 outings, leaving them sat 11th in the standings. With a heavy summer recruitment in the bid to survive the new relegation format, Craig Joyce’s side weren’t to be considered ruled out of this tie, promising an enjoyable watch to both the fans that braved the elements at Petershill.
Coincidentally, Brain Grahams first victory as the PTW manager came against Queens Park 4 years ago this week, with the manager looking for a similar result on their climb back up the league table.
Thistles first chance at goal came in the 18th minute, as Henderson worked her way through a congested Queens Park back line and into the box, slotting the pass towards Boyce whose effort bobbled across the surface before it was collected from danger by the Queens Park keeper.
A break in play for treatment to an opposition player saw Brian Graham reel his players in to talk through what otherwise looked like a slightly unsettled Jags side in the opening minutes.
With play resuming Thistle were immediately on the attack, Boyce’s strike from distance bounding back into play from the goal post before the next passage of play was met with the offside flag from the sideline.
As the wind continued to batter across Petershill Park towards the half hour mark, play had become more sporadic between both sides with long range passes being intercepted by the respective opposition and neither team being able to make that breakthrough as the first half concluded goalless.
With the second 45 coming to a temporary halt to capture a four-legged pitch invader, Thistle were quick to clear the Queens Park opportunity from the free kick, before Currie got the ball towards Henderson whose effort fell wide of the post in an end-to end reintroduction to the match.
With the hour mark approaching, Brian Graham first looked to his bench to interject some new ideas into the Thistle squad, opting for Robinson, Gibb and Longcake to replace Cowan, McAllister, and Boyce, respectively.
It was an immediate response from the substitutes as the deadlock was broken by Thistle in the 57 th minute. Winning possession from the play out from the back, Thistle deployed a series of quick passes down the pitch which disjointed the Queens Park defences. The ball found its way to Gibb who in some of her first involvements of the game made no mistake in firing her effort from the angle low beyond the keeper and into the far bottom corner to gift Thistle the advantage.
Having navigated a few enticing opportunities from the visitors, the goal cushion saw a now more recognisable Thistle side use the quick passage of play between Burchill and Gray, the former sending the high goal bound effort over the heads of everyone that surrounded her only to be denied by the fingertips of the Queens Park goal stopper as the ball tipped over the bar.
Partick Thistle arguably gained full control of the tie as the pass from the back from Slater got to Longcake in the final third, her quick pass into the box caught out the defence as Burchill powered in to slot it into the back of the net in the 77th minute to double the Jags deficit.
In the final minutes, Thistle were inches away from putting the match truly out of sight as the ball from the back made its way to Burchill in an enticing area in front of goal, her effort rolling just wide two minutes from time before Rosie Slater almost grabbed a spectacular third, her short from distance coming back off the crossbar.
A composed final ten minutes from Partick Thistle confirmed all three points and a return into the top six of the SWPL1 table in a tie that saw the Jags improve as time progressed and most importantly, get back to winning ways.
Partick Thistle open their November endeavours with an “away” match to Glasgow City on the 3rd of November, kick off 12pm.
Partick Thistle: Currie, Falconer, Docherty (Slater), Henderson, Boyce (Longcake), McAllister (Robinson), Ferguson, Cowan (Gibb), Gray, Burchill, Sinclair (Adams)
