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Partick Thistle FC
Partick Thistle FC

Friendly
Sat 20 July, 2013. Kick Off: - 15:00
Gayfield Park, Arbroath.

Arbroath
1
Scott Morrison (Josh Gray (21), 82 mins)
2
Ricky Little
3
Johnny Lindsay (Colin Hamilton (17), 65 mins)
4
Darren Smith
5
Michael Travis
6
Alex Keddie (David Banjo (14), 56 mins)
7
Bobby Linn (Lari Yao (16), 29 mins)
8
Ross Chisholm
9
Graham Bayne (Lee Sibanda (12), 69 mins)
10
Steven Milne
11
Alan Cook (Paul Sheerin (18), 65 mins)
 
Subs
12
Lee Sibanda
14
David Banjo
15
Ryan Sullivan
16
Lari Yao
17
Colin Hamilton
18
Paul Sheerin
21
Josh Gray
Partick Thistle FC
Partick Thistle
1
Scott Fox
2
Jordan McMillan
3
Aaron Taylor-Sinclair (Stephen O'Donnell (15), 67 mins)
4
Hugh Murray (David Wilson (18), 67 mins)
5
Aaron Muirhead
6
Conrad Balatoni (Trialist Two (20), 60 mins)
7
Henoc Mukendi (Trialist One (16), 72 mins)
8
James Craigen
9
John Baird (Kris Doolan (14), 64 mins)
10
Ross Forbes (Declan McDaid (17), 81 mins)
11
Christie Elliott
 
Subs
12
Paul Gallacher
14
Kris Doolan
15
Stephen O'Donnell
16
Trialist One
17
Declan McDaid
18
David Wilson
20
Trialist Two
 
Subs
12
Lee Sibanda
14
David Banjo
15
Ryan Sullivan
16
Lari Yao
17
Colin Hamilton
18
Paul Sheerin
21
Josh Gray
 
Subs
12
Paul Gallacher
14
Kris Doolan
15
Stephen O'Donnell
16
Trialist One
17
Declan McDaid
18
David Wilson
20
Trialist Two
Match Preview

Arbroath v Partick Thistle – 20th July 2013

A little time has passed since Thistle and Arbroath last crossed swords. Indeed you need to go back over 11 years, to March 2002, for the last meeting between the two teams when Thistle, on route to winning the First Division title, came from 2-0 down at Firhill to draw 2-2.
There’s no league points at stake tomorrow but the game is still an important one as we continue our preparation for the start of the 2013-2014 season which, as if you needed any reminding, is just a fortnight away.
For Arbroath, whose squad for the season ahead includes former jags Ricky Little and Johnny Lindsay, the start of the competitive action comes even sooner. They start their season with a Ramsdens Cup date with Stenhousemuir a week on Saturday. Tomorrow’s game, therefore, promises to be a stern test although the weather forecast at least suggests that the temperature in Arbroath tomorrow will be a little cooler than what we are currently experiencing in Glasgow.
Tomorrow should give any of Thistle fans heading to Arbroath a glimpse of our new loan signing Henoc Mukendi, who arrived in Glasgow yesterday, and the manager was able to provide us with a little more information about him.
“He’s a young lad in his final year of his contract at Liverpool. We got the chance to take him on loan and it was a bit of a no brainer for us. The strikers that we’ve got are a bit smaller and Henoc, who can play anywhere across the front, has a bit of presence about him and offers us something a bit different. It’s important to stress though that he isn’t a target man. He’s technically a good player and I think he was keen to come here because of the type of football that we play. He went out on loan to Northampton last season and I think that they tended just to knock the ball back to front to him and that really isn’t his style at all.”
There will be another unfamiliar face in the Thistle side tomorrow as Alan explained;
“We’ve another trialist coming in; someone who we haven’t seen before, for us to have a look at.”
As for the rest of the team news;
“Stuart Bannigan is coming along well. He’ll not be involved tomorrow but we hope that he’ll be involved in training from the start of next week. Sean Welsh is obviously out for a few weeks and Mark Kerr has picked up an infection on his toe and he might be a doubt for tomorrow. Otherwise I think everyone else is fit and available.”
Match Details
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday July 20th 2013
Arbroath v Partick Thistle
Kick-off: 3:00pm
Prices
Adults £8
Concessions £4
Adult and Child £10
Match Officials
Referee: Andrew Dallas
Assistant Referees: Willie Ferguson and Steven Traynor

Match Report

Arbroath v Partick Thistle – 20th July 2013

Thistle suffered defeat in their latest pre-season outing; their first visit to Gayfield Park, Arbroath for over 11 years.
Injury deprived manager Alan Archibald of the services of Sean Welsh, Stuart Bannigan and Mark Kerr while Steven Lawless was left out with his partner due to give birth.
There was, however, a place in the starting line-up for new loan signing Henoc Mukendi.
This wasn’t a game that is likely to linger long in the memory. In the opening 45 minutes Thistle were able to enjoy the vast majority of the possession but they weren’t able to create many clear openings in front of the Arbroath goal and when they did they rarely called the home keeper into any serious action.
The first half chance of the game came Christie Elliott’s way in the 9th minute when he was able to collect a poor clearance from the keeper but he sent his shot over the bar.
James Craigen did force Morrison in the Arbroath goal into a save after 17 minutes but there was no real pace in his shot after Aaron Sinclair had spotted Craigen to his left.
Five minutes later the clearest opening yet arrived for Thistle but despite getting a clear look at goal Christie Elliott was unable to hit target from about 15 yards out.
Ross Forbes saw a deflected effort saved  after Mukendi had set him up and in the last action of the first half the on loan Liverpool player was again involved; this time setting up Christie Elliott for a shot that Morrison needed two attempts to save.
The lack of urgency that had marked the first half was again notable after the interval and when a goal did arrive, in the 58th minute, it was a somewhat unexpected strike; not least because it came from the home side. Scott Fox had until this point been a virtual spectator and he could only watch too as Graham Bayne was able to divert a cross from the left wide of hime and into the net.
The loss of that goal did inject a little more urgency into Thistle’s play and John Baird was unlucky not to equalise at the back post after Mukendi had headed a Ross Forbes free kick into his path.
Substitutes David Wilson and Declan McDaid impressed when they came off the bench during the second half. Wilson’s first involvement in the game was to force Morrison into a low save down to his right and a beautifully judged ball from the midfielder nearly conjured up an equaliser with 8 minutes remaining, only for one of the trialist subs to see his shot blocked.
Christie Elliott saw a shot blocked by the legs of Morrison and Declan McDaid sent a shot over the bar after he cut inside from the left.
It was McDaid too that was involved in the move that nearly produced a Thistle equaliser with just a minute of the game remaining. The former Morton youngster was able to set up the trialist striker who was desperately unfortunate to see his net bound shot take a deflection off a defender and strike the crossbar.

Match Reaction

Arbroath v Partick Thistle – 20th July 2013

There is understandably something a bit false about pre-season games lacking, as they do, a competitive edge. When speaking to [link:HOME] after the defeat at Arbroath manager Alan Archibald summed things up pretty well when he said;
“We need a competitive game to kick us into shape”, before continuing;
“Pre-season is frustrating; I said midway through the first half that the game felt like an end of season game to be honest. I don’t know if that was down to the game being at the seaside or not but there was no real urgency about it.”
Alan went on;
“The first half I thought was fine. We had a few chances, there was some good play. Things that we’ve worked on were good and the pressing was good. Second half though we started very poorly and that continued. It was slackness that cost us the goal. The only positives from the second half were the substitutes, who I thought all acquitted themselves well especially the two kids. David Wilson picked up a knock earlier in pre-season and that’s really the only reason that he hasn’t been involved more than he has.”
And what of the performance of new loan signing Henoc Mukendi?
“It’s new surroundings for him and it’s new team mates for him; he only met the boys yesterday. It was good to get him some game time and I thought that he showed some good touches and he was fine. I think playing against Arbroath he will learn what playing football in Scotland is all about; it’s very physical.”
Alan went on;
“The overall fitness is good. There are still one or two that need a bit more. Jordan McMillan, for example, hasn’t played many games and it was good to be able to give him the full 90 minutes today. Sean Welsh and Stuart Bannigan are obviously still missing. They are a big loss and I think you can see that. Stuart we hope will be back training on Monday and with the start of the season now just under 2 weeks away we hope that he will be ready. Sean though will be struggling to be ready for the start of the season.”
There was another absentee against Arbroath?
“Steven Lawless we left out today because his partner was going into labour and the baby could have arrived at any time. He wanted to come but we told him just to leave it which turned out to be the right decision as his partner gave birth to a baby girl. We are all delighted for them.”
The away pre-season games are now over and it will be back home to Firhill next for the friendly with AEL Limassol. Like us all, Alan will be glad to be back at Firhill.
“I’ll be glad to get back playing at Firhill; the only reason we haven’t is because the pitch hasn’t been ready.

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