SPFL Ladbrokes Championship
Tue 26 February, 2019. Kick Off: - 19:45
East End Park
Fixture Information:
Supporters’ Buses:
City Centre Branch:
Pick ups:
Q Club – 17:45
Station Bar – 18:00
Non members welcome.
Please call 07979496154 or email to book.
John Lambie Jordanhill Branch:
Pick ups:
Jordanhill Station – 17:45
Thornwood Bar – 17:50
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 – 17:30
Esquire House – 17:50
Maryhill Community Halls – 18:05
Non-Members fares:
£14 for adults.
£8 for concessions.
To reserve seats, please e-mail or call 0141 632 3604 before 9:00 pm.
The Partick Thistle first team won’t have too much time to stew on Saturday’s defeat to Ross County as they are already deep into preparation for Tuesday night’s match against Dunfermline. In truth most of the squad will be happy to get back on the pitch and prove that the second half against County was nothing more than a blip in an otherwise outstanding 2019.
As his players left the training pitch on Monday afternoon, Thistle boss, Gary Caldwell, spoke exclusively to ptfc.co.uk to discuss the trip to East End Park.
Caldwell said:
“The performance in the second half on Saturday was nowhere near good enough. It was way off the standards we have set for ourselves since the New Year and the players know that it must be much, much better.
“Tuesday night’s match gives us a chance to get straight back out onto the pitch and offers us the opportunity to put right some of the wrongs from Saturday. Ahead of the County game I spoke about how a good run lifts everyone at the football Club from the office staff to the kit men, well a defeat like Saturday hurts everyone in exactly the same way so we are all looking to bounce back as soon as possible.”
With the games coming thick and fast just now, physical and mental recovery is a massive part of the players’ schedule and something that is vitally important if Caldwell is going to have a fit squad to choose from.
“Recovery is absolutely crucial after every game but especially when there is a run of games like we have just now. The recovery process starts straight after the last game with everything that the players eat and drink being monitored and managed. Sleep is really the biggest element of the physical recovery process though and can go a long way to bringing the players back mentally as well.
“The boys were then in on Sunday for a recovery session in the gym and the pool, the players who didn’t play as many minutes were obviously doing a bit more. We spoke over the game on Sunday and then had a light session on Monday where we worked on our shape and touched on a few tactical points as we would usually ahead of a Saturday game.
“It’s always a challenge fitting in the usual pre-match preparation when you have midweek fixtures but our players are good, hard working professionals and they’ve responded really well to Saturday’s disappointment. We feel well prepared and ready for the challenge Dunfermline will bring on Tuesday night.”
There were some enforced substitutions on Saturday as a couple of Thistle player seemed to be affected by injury and the news is mixed ahead of the midweek clash.
“We certainly have a few niggles which is a bit of a concern. Miles Storey and Joe Cardle will probably miss Tuesday night and will be more likely targeting Hearts or Dundee United for a return. Bannigan took a knock on Saturday and he is 50/50 just now but we will give him all the time he needs to be fit as he is a big player for us. Penrice and Elliott are both nursing minor issues but they’re both good strong characters who will be desperate to play so we’re hopeful both will be available come kick off.
“Longer term we have some good news around a couple of players who have been out for a while. Tam O’Ware is back running and has been out on the training pitch working with the physio which is great to see. Another major boost is the return of Shea Gordon who has been out with a complex injury for a number of months now but has returned to full training in the last couple of weeks. He will be in the squad for Tuesday and that will be a massive lift.”
Looking forward to taking on the Pars Caldwell was clear that the side’s approach wouldn’t change but they would take some key lessons into the tie.
“Starting games is always what we aim for but we need to keep that intensity up for the full 90 minutes. We don’t look at other teams results, we just focus on our own and we need to keep that approach within games as well. It doesn’t matter what the score is or how well we are playing we can’t ease off or lower our standards because in this league we will get punished.
“We will use Saturday’s result as added motivation to drive us forward. Our focus is entirely on winning our games and a win on Tuesday gives us the chance to leapfrog Alloa and Falkirk again. We will just focus on ourselves though and make sure we get the business done.”
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Article Copyright © 2019. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
Partick Thistle were on the road again as they travelled to East End Park to take on Dunfermline Athletic in the Ladbrokes Championship. With Falkirk and Alloa not playing, the Jags knew a win would lift them from bottom to eighth in the table ahead of their Scottish Cup quarter-final against Hearts.
They did, however, come into the match off the back of a defeat, something which they last did on the 5th of January. That was because of a horrendous collapse against Ross County three days prior which saw them go from 2-0 up to 4-2 down in a matter of 45 minutes. On the other hand, the Pars were looking to make it three league wins in a row for the first time in their 18/19 campaign.
Gary Caldwell made two changes to the team which started against the Staggies on Saturday as his side returned to the 3-5-2 set-up. Conor Hazard continued in goals behind a back three of Jack McMillan, Steven Anderson and Steven Saunders who replaced the injured Stuart Bannigan in the line-up. James Penrice and Christie Elliott were the wing-backs with Craig Slater, Gary Harkins and stand-in captain, Blair Spittal acting as a three in midfield. Up front Kris Doolan played alongside Scott McDonald with the Australian making his first start in football since May of last year. On the bench were Jamie Sneddon, Sean McGinty, the returning Shea Gordon, Aidan Fitzpatrick, Souleymane Coulibaly, Lewis Mansell and Ally Roy.
The match’s first opportunity came after 11 minutes when Thistle’s wing-backs combined to force Ryan Scully into a good save. Christie Elliott was the creator in this scenario as his cross made its way over to James Penrice on the left via a flick on. Penrice struck the ball on the half-volley, keeping the effort on target but failing to beat ex-Jag, Scully, from ten yards or so.
The next big chance of the game came in the 34th minute as Bruce Anderson went close for the home side. After some slick play in the Thistle half, Louis Longridge got the ball to his strike partner, Anderson, who opened the goal up on his right foot. He tried to fire across Conor Hazard into the bottom corner but his shot skipped past the far stick.
Unfortunately for any neutrals watching, or indeed fans of either team, that was all there was to talk about in a pretty poor first half. Neither side had threatened in a consistent manner and 0-0 was the fair score going into the break.
That 0-0 scoreline didn’t last long in the second period though, as the hosts took the lead with 47 minutes gone. It came from a corner as a looping ball to the back post was headed down into the goalmouth area. No Thistle player was there to clear, allowing Bruce Anderson to fire home from close range.
The visitors then looked to put a more attacking emphasis on their shape as Aidan Fitzpatrick was brought on for Steven Saunders with the team going from 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield. Gary Caldwell then made two further attacking changes on 65 minutes as Souleymane Coulibaly and Lewis Mansell replaced Scott McDonald and Kris Doolan.
Nevertheless, things didn’t get any better for the away side with Dunfermline making it two with 17 minutes left to play. Once again, it came from a corner with no knock down this time. The delivery landed on the head of Danny Devine who, against his former Club, found the top corner past a despairing Conor Hazard.
The Jags misery was compounded when Bruce Anderson grabbed another in the 85th minute to make it 3-0. Christie Elliott gave away possession 20 yards from the Thistle box and the ball was fizzed across the the area. It managed to evade any visiting boots, finding Anderson at the back post where he applied another easy finish.
That would be it in Fife as the Jags fell to consecutive defeats for the first time in 2019 also losing their first away match of the New Year. A missed opportunity for the Maryhill men as they failed to capitalise on a chance to move up two places in the Championship table.
Next up for Thistle is the visit of Hearts in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals as they look to secure a place in the Hampden semis at stake. Kick-off is 19:05 from the Energy Check Stadium at Firhill next Monday.
After the disappointment if Saturday’s 4-2 defeat by Ross County, Partick Thistle were looking to bounce back with victory in Fife this evening, however, the Jags failed to do so as they were served a 3-0 loss by Dunfermline.
Like against County three days prior, the Maryhill men lost as a consequence of a poor second half performance with the hosts netting all of their goals in the second half following a goalless first 45 minutes. Goals from Bruce Anderson on either side of a Danny Devine header saw the Pars to victory on what was a dreadful night for Thistle. Jags boss, Gary Caldwell, spoke to ptfc.co.uk following the final whistle.
“It’s obviously a difficult result to take because we came here looking to win. There was nothing in the first half, it was poor quality wise from both teams but then we shoot ourselves in the foot at the start of the second half once again.
“Conceding so quickly gives us a mountain to climb and we then have to come out and push which leads to them getting a second and a third as we become more susceptible to counters. Overall, it’s another poor result which we have to bounce back from.”
Gary talked us through the change of shape he implemented in the second half as his side went from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield.
“We felt we needed to change the shape as we chased the game. The 3-5-2 didn’t work the way we wanted it to in the first half because we weren’t using the spare man at the back to bring the ball out and feed those in front of him.
“We went to the diamond with the two strikers Lewis Mansell and Souleymane Coulibaly to give us something different and I thought they did extremely well but even still, we didn’t do enough in attack and Dunfermline deserved to win.”
Caldwell finished by discussing some of the big problems with his side’s performance.
“A lot of the little things weren’t there. The simple passing, the desire to get to second balls; things we’ve improved on recently.
“They looked like they wanted it more and they were running more which was frustrating. As I’ve said I don’t think there was much between the teams first half and even in the second but we’re giving teams easy goals and that’s cost us in the last two games.”
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Article Copyright © 2019. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk
Tue 26 February, 2019
SPFL Ladbrokes Championship 
East End Park
A ball from the left makes it way to the back post and Anderson scores Dunfermline's third.
A corner is headed past Hazard by Danny Devine.
A superbly timed tackle by Elliott stops Dunfermline adding to their lead.
A corner from the right isn't cleared and Bruce Anderson nips in to put Dunfermline ahead.
Mix up in the Dunfermline defence almost lets in Slater but Scully does well to come out to block
Chance for Dunfermline as Longridge turns in the box but his effort is by Hazard's right hand post.
Harkins sends a corner over but its just taken off the head of Anderson at the back post.
Dunfermline break through Higginbotham but Thistle manage to get bodies back before Harkins does enough to stop the shot.
The ball falls to Penrice at the back post who strikes it first time and forces Scully into a low save. Good chance for Thistle.
The corner comes in and Saunders is in space in the middle but his header is blocked as he sends it goalwards.
Doolan picks it up in the area and feeds McDonald but his effort is straight at Scully
Thistle line up in a 3-5-2 formation with Blair Spittal captain this evening.
Thistle kick the match off. Thistle in the navy blue away kit are defending the goal infront of the Thistle support