SPFL Ladbrokes Championship
Sat 4 August, 2018. Kick Off: - 15:00
Somerset Park
Fixture Information:
Admission Details:
This fixture is a PAY AT THE GATE fixture
Prices:
Adults – £17
Concessions – £11
Under 18s – £6
A concession is qualified as a person between 18 and 21, over 65 or a student with a valid matriculation card.
Supporters’ Buses:
City Centre Branch:
Pick ups:
Q Club – 11:50
Station Bar – 12:00
Non members welcome.
Please call 07979496154 or email to book.
John Lambie Jordanhill Branch:
Pick ups:
Jordanhill Station – 13:15
Thornwood Bar – 13:20
Prices:
£12 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:
£14 for adults.
£8 for concessions.
To reserve seats, please e-mail or call 0141 632 3604 before 9:00 pm.
After four tough Betfred Cup group stage games, it’s time for Partick Thistle to turn their attentions towards the league season. The 2018/19 Championship campaign gets underway tomorrow and the Jags travel to Somerset Park to take on Ayr in their league opener. The Maryhill men lost to Ian McCall’s side last weekend in the final match of Betfred Cup Group E as goals from Michael Moffat and Lawrence Shankland saw the Ayrshire outfit to victory. However, it’s a clean slate for this weekend’s clash as Thistle look to secure their first league win of the season at the first opportunity. Jags manager, Alan Archibald spoke to ptfc.co.uk ahead of his side’s Championship opener.
Archie began by saying that although his squad is not complete yet, he feels that his side have enough to get the points on Saturday.
“I think it’s clear that as a squad we’re still light on numbers but we’ve been trying very hard this week. Unfortunately, we’ve had two knockbacks in the last few days which isn’t great as we wanted a couple more in for the start of the league season but that hasn’t happened. In terms of the players who are here, they’re ready to go. We’ve got most people some time on the pitch and there’s an excitement ahead of the first game of the league season.”
The gaffer knows that when you’re aiming for promotion, establishing yourselves as challengers early on can be extremely important and that’s why he’s desperate for an opening day win against Ayr.
“A quick start is vital because giving your rivals an early headstart makes it unnecessarily difficult to catch them up. Going to Somerset Park will not be an easy trip for anyone this year and to go there and win would really set us off on the right foot.”
Alan says that he learned a lot from last weekend’s defeat by Ayr and feels his side will be much better prepared for Ayr’s style of play this time round.
“We need to be better than we were at home last Saturday. We had plenty of the ball last week but failed to create too much and then whenever we did create, our shots were either off-target or straight at the goalkeeper. We need to be more clinical and, at times, a bit more direct. There’ll be periods when we can get the ball down but at times, when we’re under pressure it might be better to move it forward quickly.”
With it being Ayr’s flag day tomorrow, Archie knows there will be a bumper crowd and a special atmosphere at Somerset Park for the game and hopes that his side can take the sting out of the occasion early on.
“Ideally, we’ll take control early on. They’ll come out flying, full of energy and we’re probably going to have to ride out that storm. We started well last week but threw that away by gifting them a goal which knocked the stuffing out of our guys.”
Thistle have two players suspended for the game tomorrow with Christie Elliott and Andy McCarthy both unavailable and Alan admits that this will force his hand a bit in terms of what formations and tactics he deploys for the match.
“We’re going to have to change things up as a result of those missing players. That’s another issue with having a small squad. One or two absentees can have a huge effect. We don’t have another natural right-back to fill in so we have to look at other options. We’ve worked on various different approaches and formations this week so we should be able to deal with missing those players.”
More exclusive preview interviews with Kris Doolan, Shea Gordon and Jags gaffer, Alan Archibald, 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 The Energy Check Stadium at Firhill? Jagzone members can listen to live audio commentary of the match. JagZoneLIVE begins at 2:45pm on Saturday afternoon.
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 kicked off their Ladbrokes Championship campaign for the 2018/19 term with a trip to Somerset Park this afternoon. Having faced Ayr last Saturday, losing 2-0, the Jags looked to get their revenge on the Honest Men as they travelled to Ayrshire for the season’s league opener.
Alan Archibald made two changes to the side which lost to Ian McCall’s team last weekend. Cammy Bell remained in goals, making his fourth consecutive appearance as a Jag. Thistle ever presents, James Penrice and Sean McGinty continued as part of the backline with Tam O’Ware and the debuting Max Melbourne completing the back four. Craig Slater sat at the base of a diamond to begin with behind Shea Gordon and Blair Spittal on either side of the shape. Chris Erskine began the game at the point of the diamond in behind the front two of Kris Doolan and Miles Storey.
The bench was a threadbare one for the away side with only four players named among the substitutes with those men being Jamie Sneddon, Niall Keown, Callum Wilson and Aidan Fitzpatrick.
The first action of the game came in the 8th minute as Thistle conceded within ten minutes as they had the week prior. Robbie Crawford latched onto the ball on the edge of the Thistle box before dodging into the area. Sean McGinty dangled a leg out in the direction of Crawford and caught the Ayr number eight, conceding a penalty. Lawrence Shankland stepped up to take the spot kick and after seven goals in four Betfred Cup games, there was no doubt that he was finding the net here. The ex-Aberdeen man sent Cammy Bell the wrong way, opening his account for the league season.
The next big chance of the match came after 20 minutes as Shankland doubled his and Ayr’s tally for the day. Tam O’Ware put in a strong challenge with the ball falling to Max Melbourne in the Thistle box but the West Brom loanee’s clearing pass went straight to Michael Moffat. The 32-year old played a lovely pass through to Declan McDaid in the box and the former Thistle man got his head up to pick out Shankland with a cut back. The striker took one touch before firing confidently into the net to make it 2-0.
The Jags came close to pulling one back just ahead of the break as Kris Doolan got on the end of Miles Storey’s cross after 42 minutes. Storey moved in from the left and tried a diagonal ball towards goal. He found Doolan but the number nine’s headed effort flew just over Ross Doohan’s crossbar.
Thistle had another opportunity just before the interval as Doohan was forced into his first serious save of the match. Craig Slater picked the ball up in the Ayr half and decided to have a pop at goal. The midfielder fired a low shot towards the bottom corner and, although he initially seemed to think it was going wide, Doohan got across to tip it round the post.
The teams went into the break with the score at 2-0 and the Jags were in desperate need of some respite. The hosts had been energetic and effective in possession while the Jags had looked lax and toothless going forward. Both goals were easily avoidable but the home side had been well worth their lead as the second half got underway.
Alan Archibald made a tactical change to begin the second half with the team going into a 3-5-2 arrangement with Max Melbourne and Blair Spittal as the wing-backs ahead of a back three including Sean McGinty, Tam O’Ware and James Penrice.
The change of formation didn’t help immediately though as Declan McDaid almost bagged his first of the new season three minutes after the restart. Andy Geggan had advanced down the right hand side before whipping in an excellent cross towards the far side of the box. McDaid was making a late run and met the delivery on the volley. His forceful effort rifled towards goal but was a yard or so off target in the end.
The Jags were looking for a penalty in the 59th minute as Chris Erskine flicked the ball forward in the Ayr box and the ball struck Jamie Adams. The Thistle players and fans alike were calling for a handball decision by Craig Thomson waves play on, unmoved by the red and yellow appeals.
Thistle then made their first and only change of the game as Aidan Fitzpatrick replaced Max Melbourne. The youngster almost made an instant impact too as he burst past Andy Geggan and Declan McDaid as he entered the Ayr box down the Thistle left. He tried to find a teammate as he fired the ball across goal but his delivery had too much on it for Kris Doolan and Chris Erskine who had joined him in the box.
Ayr weren’t far away from a third following some good work by substitute Craig McGuffie with 20 minutes left to play. McGuffie managed to wriggle past James Penrice with a clever nutmeg before cutting the ball back. His pass passed Shankland, finding its way to Michael Moffat who tried to bundle the ball home, however, Tam O’Ware made a vital block to deny the experienced forward.
The visitors last opportunity of the game came when James Penrice found himself in possession in the Ayr 18-yard area. The left back proceeded to drill the ball across the face of goal, with the pass going towards Doolan but Jamie Adams was on hand to clear the danger.
As such, the match ended 2-0 with the game massively disappointing for the away side who very rarely threatened the Ayr goal.
Alan Archibald’s must now regroup and prepare for next Saturday’s opening home game of the league season as Falkirk come to Maryhill after also losing today. Kick-off is 15:00 from the Energy Check Stadium at Firhill.
THISTLE TEAM: Bell, Melbourne (Fitzpatrick, 60’), O’Ware, Penrice, Slater, Gordon, Erskine, Spittal, Storey, Doolan.
UNUSED SUBS: Sneddon, Keown, Wilson.
AYR UNITED TEAM: Doohan, Geggan (Ferguson, 86’), Rose, Adams, Harvie, Crawford, Murdoch, McDaid (Docherty, 84’), Forrest (McGuffie, 67’), Moffat, Shankland.
UNUSED SUBS (AYR): Hare-Reid, Bell, McCowan.
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.
After a summer of rebuilding and a Betfred Cup group stage that ended in progression, Partick Thistle kicked off their league campaign at Somerset Park today. The Jags travelled to Ayrshire after three wins from their opening four games but they failed to start the Ladbrokes Championship season with any points. Two early Lawrence Shankland goals saw Ayr defending a healthy advantage for the majority of the match and Thistle were unable to break the Honest Men down. The match ended 2-0 and Jags manager, Alan Archibald spoke to ptfc.co.uk following the final whistle.
Archie began by bemoaning the self-inflicted damage that his side caused early in the game today.
“Last week we shot ourselves in the foot and we did the same today. The first goal is just a clumsy challenge that gives Ayr and added boost in confidence. Then the second goal is just bad decision making followed by some good Ayr play but it was another utterly avoidable goal.”
The gaffer told us that once behind, getting goals back against a rigid and organised Ayr side was always going to be tough.
“It’s always tough to come from behind but even more so against a team like Ayr. Ultimately, we shouldn’t be falling behind in the first place especially when the goals are as poor as the ones we let in.”
Alan also admitted that his weakened bench made it difficult to change the game after falling behind.
“It’s obviously not a situation we want to be in but it’s the reality. We needed our guys on the park to perform but they didn’t. Aidan Fitzpatrick came on for half an hour and I thought he was very bright, however, to ask him to change the game completely is unrealistic and we need to find a way to avoid ever being in that position.”
Archibald then told us that with the squad clearly short of numbers, he’s very much actively looking at bringing more bodies in.
“We clearly need more players in and we’ve got targets that we’re looking at. Today’s squad was a bit lighter than it might have been because of Christie Elliott and Andy McCarthy suspensions and then Jack Storer dropped out this morning with illness. We should have all three of them back next week which will make things look a bit better.”
Alan Archibald’s must now regroup and prepare for next Saturday’s opening home game of the league season as Falkirk come to Maryhill after also losing today. Kick-off is 15:00 from the Energy Check Stadium at Firhill.
A more in depth video interview with Alan Archibald is available now to Jagzone subscribers and will be followed by reaction from Cammy Bell and James Penrice. Log in now to see it as soon as it is available.
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.
Alan will be here for the next big moment – will you? 2018/19 season tickets are on sale now – buy yours 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.
Sat 4 August, 2018
SPFL Ladbrokes Championship 
Somerset Park
Penrice cuts into the box and drills a low cross which is cleared by Adams.
This afternoon's #JagZoneLIVE man of the match, sponsored by Pursuit Marketing, is Aidan Fitzpatrick.
Moffat sets up Shankland but his shot is poor and Bell saves easily.
Thistle win a corner with Slater's delivery being cleared by Harvie.
Moffat and Shankland link up well. Shankland squares for Moffat but the heel of McGinty halts the attack.
McDaid pounces on a loose ball before teeing up Murdoch. The Ayr man fires high and wide.
McGuffie wriggles past Penrice and scoops the ball away from Bell. It is cut back but O'Ware blocks and clears.
Slater fizzes over a cross from the right but Rose heads clear ahead of Doolan.
Spittal whips over a cross deep. It goes all the way through to Fitzpatrick who can't quite connect his header goalwards.
Harvie advances down the left hand side but McGinty is able to clear the corner away for a throw in.
Phenomenal play from Aidan Fitzpatrick to skip away from Geggan and poke the ball beyond McDaid. His cross is whipped over but there are no takers.
Geggan and Moffat link up before the striker aims a shot straight at Bell.
McDaid's delivery is deep and over the heads of the ayr attackers
Storey and Doolan link up well. The Jags number nine plays it to the pacey attacker but Harvie is across to clear the ball off the toes of Storey.
Geggan crosses from the right for McDaid who fires narrowly over the bar.
Harvie drills over a cross which takes a deflection forcing Bell into a low dive to collect it.
Both sides return to the pitch. No subs at half time for either team. Chris Erskine is about to get the second half underway.
Slater shoots from distance and Doohan has to look lively to turn it behind.
Storey's cross is met by Doolan and his header is flicked inches over the bar.
A long throw from Ayr falls to Forrest at the edge of the box but he slices a shot wide of target.
Forrest has a low shot from inside the box but McGinty slides to block the effort.
Erskine turns the Ayr defence. He cuts it back to Spittal but a poor touch allows an Ayr defender to clear. Thistle get the ball back instantly and start another attack.
Erskine pounces on a loose clearance from Harvie and breaks on goal. He drags his shot slightly and it is comfortable for Doohan to save.
Thistle can't quite clear their lines. The ball is played to Shankland who makes no mistake with his finish beyond Cammy Bell.
Harvie's cross from the left is good but it is completely missed by Shankland who flew at it.
Good play from Thistle ends with Storey whipping over a low cross. Ayr can't quite control it but get it away from danger just. The home side race up the park and Thistle have to be alert to clear from Forrest.
A long throw from Melbourne is headed goalwards by Gordon. It is a comfortable save for Doohan.
The corner is cleared back to McDaid before it is sent back in. It finds Rose at the back post who is inches wide with a volley from the edge of the box.
It's cleared long to Shankland who tees up McDaid. Melbourne is across to knock it out for a corner.
Shankland sends Bell the wrong way from the spot and the home side lead.
McGinty fouls just inside the box. Shankland to take.
Geggan plays it to the overlapping Forrest. His cross is poor and drifts into the Jags fans behind Cammy Bell's goal.
Lawrence Shankland gets us underway