Sat 20 October, 2018
SPFL Ladbrokes Championship 
The Indodrill StadiumSPFL Ladbrokes Championship
Sat 20 October, 2018. Kick Off: - 15:00
The Indodrill Stadium
Fixture Information:
Admission Details:
This fixture is a PAY AT THE GATE fixture.
Prices:
Adults – £17
Over 65s – £9
Under 16s – £4
Supporters’ Buses:
City Centre Branch:
Pick ups:
This bus is now full.
Due to road works around the St Georges Road area there will be no pick up from the Q-Club on Saturday.
Station Bar – 12:00
Non members welcome.
Please call 07979496154 or email for any further information. Please note this bus is now fully booked.
John Lambie Jordanhill Branch:
Pick ups:
Jordanhill Station – 13:15
Thornwood Bar – 13:20
Prices:
£15 for adults
£8 for concessions
All Jags fans are welcome but booking is essential.
For seats please contact Alistair on 07817612563 or email
For general enquires please contact Iain on 07779668357 or email
North-West Branch:
Pick ups:
Milngavie Station – 12:30
Esquire House – 12:50
Maryhill Community Halls – 13:05
Non-Members fares:
£12.50 for adults.
£7.50 for concessions.
To reserve seats, please e-mail or call 0141 632 3604 before 9:00 pm.
It has been a period of change and transition for the Jags as Gary Caldwell prepares for his first game in charge of Partick Thistle. With sights still firmly set on promotion back to the Ladbrokes Premiership this season the new Thistle boss will see his reign begin on the plastic pitch of the Indodrill Stadium. Despite a very busy week Caldwell was happy to sit down with ptfc.co.uk to give an update of how his first few days had been but firstly he explained why Thistle was the right Club for him.
“Straight from my first contact with Gerry Britton and the Club it has been clear to me that it is an extremely professional and well run organisation. There are plenty of forward thinking people here and very early on I could see there were long term plans in place to improve the infrastructure of the Club. It was a very appealing place for me and having watched the team I was very excited by the potential that is in this playing squad.”
Caldwell has now spent three full training sessions with the team and admits it has been a fantastic experience getting back on the training pitch.
“It has been fantastic, getting out on the pitch is exactly what you look forward to as a manager so it has been great to be able to do that this week. Right from first meeting the lads on Monday to having our first training session on Tuesday to finishing up today their application and enthusiasm has been second to none. Now we just look forward to Saturday’s game and hopefully we can start putting some of that hard work to good use.
“During this initial period it is really important that we get to know the players really well but also that they get to know me and how I want to work. We’ll look to work on specific parts of the game that we feel need improved upon to win games of football. There’s a lot of work to do but the players’ approach has been second to none and we need that to continue.”
With only a handful of contact hours so far, some might question how much can actually be achieved ahead of a game that comes so soon after the manager joined the Club. The gaffer is quite clear that a lot can change even in a short amount of time.
“I certainly believe we can have an impact in that amount of time. At the end of the day that is what our jobs are as coaches and we should be looking to have a positive impact every single day. That goes for this week and every week beyond.”
Although three points is the clear objective for the weekend Caldwell was quick to disavow any notion that Alloa would be an easy first opponent.
“We know this won’t be an easy first game for us. Alloa came up last year and they are riding the crest of that wave which gives an enormous amount of confidence and belief. They have a good manager who has them very well organised. Ultimately it is down to us to compete and match them and that is very much what we’ll be aiming to do come kick off on Saturday.”
Finally, the gaffer gave the all-important team news ahead of Saturday’s clash.
“We’re pretty much the same as we were last week. The long term injuries are still working hard behind the scenes to progress on that front and we’ve had no further injuries since then which is good news. There will undoubtedly be some tough decisions to make but that is a good problem to have as a manager.”
More exclusive preview interviews with Kris Doolan, Niall Keown and Jags gaffer, Gary Caldwell, are available to Jagzone subscribers – log in now to see them.
Jagzone members will also be able to watch extended highlights of the game.
Can’t make it to the Indodrill Stadium? Jagzone members can listen to live audio commentary of the match. JagZoneLIVE begins at 2:45pm on Saturday.
For a full list of all the great content you can access from just £5.99 per month as a Jagzone member, click here.
Article Copyright © 2018. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
Partick Thistle began the Gary Caldwell era with a trip to the Indodrill Stadium to take on Alloa in Ladbrokes Championship action. Former Scotland international, Caldwell was appointed as the new Thistle boss on Monday afternoon and took charge of his first training session on Tuesday before taking charge of his first match as the gaffer today.
Caldwell made one change to the side which Gerry Britton and Scott Allison picked last Saturday but deployed the players in a different shape. It was the same goalkeeper and back four with Cammy Bell, Christie Elliott, Niall Keown, Sean McGinty and James Penrice forming the Jags’ defensive unit. In front of the rear-guard, Brice Ntambwe came into the side, replacing Blair Spittal and being joined by Stuart Bannigan and Craig Slater in the middle of the park. Chris Erskine started on the right with Miles Storey on the left while Kris Doolan filled the role of the lone striker.
The game started with very little goalmouth action as Thistle dominated proceedings without creating. It took 28 minutes for any chance of note to come but it did come to the controlling Jags. It was Miles Storey picking up the ball on the left wing and creating enough space to get a pass into the box. He found Chris Erskine who managed a shot but the number ten slipped as he struck the ball and it was blocked behind for a corner.
There was another half chance for the away side late in the half as Brice Ntambwe met a deep Craig Slater free-kick. The big Belgian managed to meet the delivery at the back post but failed to keep the ball in as his header flew into the stands.
That was it for the first half as neither team forced a notable save from their opponents’ goalkeeper. Thistle, despite dominating possession, had struggled to carve out any real opportunities. However, defensively they had looked much more assured and Alloa, like the Jags, hadn’t threatened to score.
That changed four minutes after the restart as Dario Zanatta fired the hosts into the lead. Alloa took a quick free-kick which was played out wide giving the home team a chance to get a ball into the box, which was exactly what they did. The cross came into the six-yard area and no Thistle player managed to clear. That allowed Zanatta the chance to shoot and he finished confidently at the near post to give the Wasps the lead with their first serious chance of the match.
Just three minutes after that opener, Alloa should have made it two through Kevin Cawley. A deep delivery into the Thistle box carried through to the back post and Cawley was the man in space with an opportunity to double the lead. The number seven tried to fire it into the roof of the net but ended up finding the back of the stand behind the goal.
Gary Caldwell then made his first substitution as Thistle manager as he handed Souleymane Coulibaly his debut for the Jags. The Ivorian replaced Miles Storey with just under 35 minutes left.
Just after that change, Kris Doolan had a chance to bring the visitors level. Sam Roscoe misjudged the flight of the ball and Doolan ran in behind down the right channel and tried a quick shot. His right-footed effort bent towards the near post but veered wide of the goal, causing Neil Parry no issues.
The away side’s second alteration came on 74 minutes as Jai Quitongo replaced Brice Ntambwe with Gary Caldwell looking for more attacking menace from his team.
Shortly thereafter, the Jags were nearly on terms again as Souleymane Coulibaly showed an example of what he can produce, forcing Parry into his first significant save of the game. The number 29 received the ball on the right side of the Alloa box and used some sublime skill to create a yard of space. The ex-Tottenham man then curled an attempt on goal with his left foot and it looked destined for the top corner, however, Parry was able to tip it over on the stretch.
Cammy Bell was then required to keep Thistle in the game as a speedy Alloa break led to a low cross which found Zanatta in the six-yard box. It looked a simple finish for the Hearts loanee but his effort was saved by the legs of Bell as Thistle got away with one.
Blair Spittal was then brought on for Chris Erskine in Gary Caldwell’s last throw of the dice with the number seven slotting into the midfield.
Half chances fell for Niall Keown and Souleymane Coulibaly but the elusive equaliser didn’t come and Alan Muir blew for full-time with the score 1-0 to Alloa. The hosts hadn’t created much but were efficient enough to take one of those few chances in stark contrast to the Jags who had controlled the game without creating much danger at all.
Thistle remain in eighth place and now build towards Gary Caldwell’s first home fixture against Ayr United next Saturday. Kick-off is 15:00 from the Energy Check Stadium at Firhill.
PARTICK THISTLE TEAM: Bell, Elliott, Keown, McGinty, Penrice, Ntambwe (Quitongo, 74’), Bannigan, Slater, Storey (Coulibaly, 56’), Erskine (Spittal, 84’), Doolan.
UNUSED SUBS (PTH): Sneddon, Melbourne, McCarthy, Mbuyi-Mutombo.
ALLOA ATHLETIC TEAM: Parry, Taggart, Roscoe, Graham, Dick, Robertson, Flannigan, Cawley, Zanatta, Shields, Trouten.
UNUSED SUBS (ALL): Henry, Peggie, Burt, Spence.
Article Copyright © 2018. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
New Partick Thistle manager, Gary Caldwell took charge of his first Jags match earlier today as the Maryhill men travelled to the Indodrill Stadium to take on Alloa Athletic. Unfortunately for the new boss, Caldwell his side couldn’t get the desired result from the Wasps as Jim Goodwin’s team came away with the 1-0 win. A single Dario Zanatta goal in the second half proved the difference in the sides with Thistle unable to break down their hosts despite having plenty of the ball. Following the conclusion of his first game as Jags manager, Gary spoke to ptfc.co.uk:
“Obviously, the result isn’t the one we wanted but I felt there were aspects of the game to be positive about. Some of the stuff we worked on in training was being used on the park so that was encouraging but there’s also still plenty to work on.
“The margins are very fine in football and you’ve got to be on the right side of the margins if you want to win football matches. Now, we’ll get back into training and work very hard on improving the areas we struggled with today.”
The new gaffer felt that his team performed well in spells but need to make little improvements if they want to produce more complete showings.
“The defence looked very solid for most of the game; they were compact and that gave us a good platform on which to build. We controlled the majority of the game but we didn’t hurt Alloa anywhere near enough.
“We’re still developing an understanding of how I want this team to attack. Our positional play needs to be better and we need a better final pass. Also, the decision-making was sometimes a bit rash.”
Although his side were unable to take any points, Gary was pleased with the effort and application of his players.
“We did well to take control of the game after 15 minutes and we got ourselves back into the game after the goal too. There were five minutes where we were on the ropes a little but we got ourselves back into it.
“I was happy with the reaction and we were on the front foot for the last 25 minutes. We gambled with the substitutes because we knew we had to get back into things but unfortunately we couldn’t get anything.
“I couldn’t have asked for much more in terms of what they gave to the game. We couldn’t get a goal but it wasn’t for a lack of trying and hopefully they carry that effort into training this week.”
A more in depth video interview with Gary Caldwell is available now to Jagzone subscribers and will be followed by reaction from Souleymane Coulibaly – log in now to see them.
Highlights will be added shortly and will be free for Jagzone subscribers.
For a full list of all the great content you can access from just £5.99 per month as a Jagzone member, click here.
Article Copyright © 2018. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
Hetherington breaks away with the ball. That will be that for Thistle today.
Coulibaly wriggles away from the defence but his cross is cleared.
Another crossfield pass from Bannigan. Another header from Coulibaly which can't quite find the target.
Coulibaly meets a cross from Bannigan but his header is off target.
Keown's header is into the arms of the goalkeeper.
Coulibaly's header wins another Jags corner
Coulibaly's shot is deflected wide for a corner
The corner is cleared but Thistle keep on the pressure. Keown blazes the ball over the bar with an effort from distance
Slater wins Thistle a corner.
Erskine shoots from the edge of the box but it is straight into the body of the goalkeeper.
Bell keeps Thistle in the game. Alloa break from a Thistle attack, it's crossed for Zanatta but the Jags number one denies him. That could be a big moment in the match.
The corner finds Doolan who has his effort blocked by a defender
Coulibaly cuts inside and unleashes one from the corner of the box which looks bound for the top corner until Parry tips over.
Coulibaly is grappled to the ground inside the box but referee Alan Muir waves play on
Sustained pressure from the Jags ends with a Penrice cross being headed goalwards by Coulibaly. It's too central to trouble Parry.
Slater shoots from the free kick, it appears to be tipped over by Parry but a goal kick is awarded.
Coulibaly is hacked down from behind by Robertson. He is very lucky to avoid a yellow card.
Coulibaly and Slated both have powerful efforts blocked by an Alloa defender who takes the ball to his face.
Penrice drills the ball across the six yard line but Parry dives on it to collect.
Doolan pounces on an error from Roscoe but snatches at the shot and can't get it on target
Cawley gets on the end of a loose ball inside the Jags box but his shot flies onto the street behind Cammy Bell's goal.
The free kick is played wide quickly and a cross into the box isn't dealt with. Zanatta takes a touch and drills a low effort beyond the reach of Bell.
A bright opening from the Jags to begin the second 45 minutes of this game here in Alloa. The home side break and win a free kick in a central zone 35 yards from goal.
Storey cuts inside and tries a shot from the edge of the box but it is over the bar.
Slater's free kick is met by Ntambwe but his header is high and wide
Doolan wins a second ball inside the box and tries to cut it back to Erkine. An Alloa leg gets in the way and clears to safety
A deep delivery is met by McGinty but he can't find the target with his header at the back post.
Heavy pressure from Thistle ends in a corner as Erskine slips as he shoots from sux yards out
Thistle break with Erskine playing it wide to Slater. He goes wider to Storey who has a good cross headed away by an Alloa defender.
A free kick from deep by Slater is met by McGinty. Ntambwe picks up the loose ball but can't pick out Doolan and the ball drifts behind for a goal kick.
A long throw is flicked on but Zanatta can only direct it past the post.
Cawley is high and late on Bannigan and earns a yellow
Gary Caldwell is prowling his technical area issuing his Jags side with instructions as Thistle and Alloa contest a midfield battle for the moment. Neither goalkeeper has been troubled.
Miles Storey opens his legs for the first time, advancing down the left hand side winning a throw in a few yards from the corner flag
Ex-Jag Iain Flannigan sends over a free kick from wide but McGinty heads it away
Alloa play it long but Thistle have the chance to counter. Slater plays it to Erskine on the narrow surface here before trying to spread it wide to Ellott who just runs out of room.
Alloa get the game underway as the Gary Caldwell era begins!