Saturday 9th April, 2016 at 2:35pm
Everyone of a red and yellow persuasion was absolutely gutted come full time in Dingwall, as a 1-0 defeat at the hands of a resilient County side dashed the Jags’ hopes of making the top six. Thistle boss, Alan Archibald, was clearly as devastated as those 550 travelling supporters when he spoke to ptfc.co.uk after the game.
Alan said: “It was in our own hands today which is exactly the position we asked the players to put us in at the beginning of the week. We had a real chance today and we never took it which is obviously incredibly frustrating and disappointing.
“I really feel for the fans who travelled in good numbers to back us today and I only wish we could have sent them back down the road with a smile on their faces.”
It was an Alex Schalk strike in the first half that separated the two sides and, despite huge spells of Thistle pressure, the vital equaliser never materialised.
“It was a disappointing goal to lose from our position. It came from our own goal kick and it was all of our own doing. The lad got way too much time on the edge of our box and it was a goal we really shouldn’t have conceded – ultimately that was what cost us.
“We threw everything at it today, I think we had seven attacking players on the park by the end, but we just couldn’t cut them open. In truth we created very few clear cut chances and never really hurt them in the way we know we can. The first goal is always important against County and, as soon as they got it, we knew it was going to be a really tough task.”
Although top six is now an impossibility, Archibald is clear that there is still plenty to fight for in the dying stages of the season.
“We want to show progression from last season and that now means finishing seventh. We’ve fought hard all season so it would be awful to come away having finished in a lower position than last year. We need to get over this blow and get ready for the post-split fixtures – our aim will be to take as many points as we possibly can and give the fans something to cheer in the last few weeks of the season.
“The players gave absolutely everything today and you certainly can’t fault their effort. If we show that fight in the closing weeks of the season I have no doubt we will finish higher than we did last term.”
