Irn Bru Challlenge Cup
Sat 8 September, 2018. Kick Off: - 15:00
Locality Hub Bayview Stadium
Fixture Information:
Admission Details:
This match will be pay at the gate for Partick Thistle Supporters.
Admission prices are as follows:
Adult – £15
Concession – £12
Under 16s – £5
A concession is classed as a person aged 65 or over or a student with a valid matriculation card.
Parent and Child tickets are also available from main reception on matchday and are priced as follows:
Parent & 1 Child – £18
Parent & 2 Children – £21
The above Parent and Child tickets cannot be purchased at the turnstiles and must be bought from main reception on matchday.
Supporters’ Buses:
City Centre Branch:
Pick ups:
Q Club – 10:50
Station Bar – 11:00
Non members welcome.
Please call 07979496154 or email to book.
John Lambie Jordanhill Branch:
Pick ups:
Jordanhill Station – 12:30
Thornwood Bar – 12:35
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 – 13:00
Non-Members fares:
£16 for adults.
£10 for concessions.
To reserve seats, please e-mail or call 0141 632 3604 before 9:00 pm.
Having bounced back from a difficult result against Dundee United with victory over Greenock Morton at the weekend, Partick Thistle now take a break from the turbulent Championship season to move into Irn-Bru Cup action. Tomorrow, it’s East Fife for the Jags as they travel to Methil for the first time in 16 years looking for progression. In the last round, the Maryhill men went to Stranraer and comfortably won 5-0 so a similar performance and result would be welcome this time round. Thistle manager, Alan Archibald spoke to ptfc.co.uk ahead of a tough tie on the road for his team.
Alan began by discussing the type of challenge that East Fife will pose and how his side will look to approach the second Irn-Bru Cup tie of the season.
“It’s always a bit different when you play in the cup and even more so when you come up against lower league opposition. If you’re not careful you can always get a shock in these types of games no matter where the other team is in the league structure. East Fife are in last place in League One but, in my eyes, that’s a bit of a false position. I’ve watched some of their footage and they can play very good stuff so we will need to be playing well to get past them.”
Archie is more than aware that East Fife will see Thistle as a scalp and as such will be very keen to get the victory over a team from the league above.
“We’ve had that before when we’ve played lower league teams; they tend to have that little bit more inspiration which can give them an extra yard on the park. However, we have played three lower league teams away from home already this season and I think we’ve dealt with those games very well. Overall, we’re in a good place and have prepared well so hopefully it all comes together for this game as it did at Stranraer.”
The gaffer then expanded on the importance of having played lower league opposition before this game with that experience being invaluable for the younger players and those who are in their first season in Scottish football.
“It’s very useful because it’s a different atmosphere when you’re involved in these sort of games. Going away to stadiums like Stair Park can be a little bit of a reminder for the younger guys that they’re lucky to be at a Club like ours and it might push them to produce more for us. The older guys who have played in loads of these games will hopefully pass on little bits of advice too.”
The Jags’ boss touched on the signing of Tam Scobbie who played for Thistle’s Reserves on Monday having joined the Club on loan from Dundee United on deadline day.
“He’s a great player to have both on the pitch and in the dressing room. When he played with the Reserve team, he was very vocal and made a huge difference for the younger lads. He’s got so much experience in Scottish football and we hope he can pass some of that onto our younger guys.”
Alan then finished by discussing his team selection ahead of tomorrow’s game with a multitude of options at his disposal with a fuller looking squad now in place.
“I’ve got plenty of decisions to make which is a good thing, ultimately. We want to give game time to the guys who are still short of fitness and haven’t played much. Jai Quitongo and Stuart Bannigan are still coming towards the end of their recoveries so on the artificial surface they’re not going to feature as it stands, even though I was very impressed with Stuart’s performance off the bench last weekend. Andréa Mutombo is still a bit short of full fitness so we hope he’ll be fit to play but Dan Jefferies has already played in the Irn-Bru Cup for Dundee Colts so he’ll go back to play with them this week.”
More exclusive preview interviews with Andréa Mbuyi-Mutombo, James Penrice 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 it to the Locality Hub Bayview 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 continued their Irn-Bru Cup journey with an away trip to take on East Fife at the Locality Hub at Bayview Stadium. The Jags eased past Stranraer in the last round of the competition, beating the Blues 5-0 on a wet Tuesday night last month. The Maryhill men now faced another tough test on the road as they travelled to Methil for the first time in 16 years.
Five changes were made to the team that beat Greenock Morton last weekend with some younger faces getting a chance as well as some of the guys still in need of game time. Jamie Sneddon came in for Cammy Bell as the young ‘stopper started his second match. In defence, Sean McGinty dropped out for Tam Scobbie as his ever present status disappeared while Christie Elliott, Niall Keown and James Penrice all retained their spots to complete the backline. Brice Ntambwe and Craig Slater were once again at the heart of the midfield with Jack Storer replacing Chris Erskine to make it a three in the Jags engine room. Aidan Fitzpatrick returned to the starting line-up after winning the Player of the Round award for his performance at Stranraer; he replaced Blair Spittal while an injury saw Miles Storey drop out with Andréa Mbuyi-Mutombo making his comeback after a calf knock saw him miss Thistle’s last game. Kris Doolan once again led the line, still searching for his first goal of the season having been denied that duck-breaking strike by the officials last Saturday.
The game started in a very scrappy manner with neither side really stringing many passes together. The first chance of the match came in the ninth minute as Aidan Fitzpatrick got on the ball for the first time. He picked up possession on the right wing and drove infield. The number 21 evaded the challenge of Liam Watt, leaving the East Fife man on his backside before unleashing a shot. He rather dragged his effort though and it was blocked on its way to goal.
Then, in the next minute, East Fife had an opportunity of their own from a corner. A dangerous delivery was whipped into the six-yard box and met by Daryll Megatt. The defender rose highest and tried to guide it into the far corner with a slight touch, however, he didn’t put enough on the header and it bounced wide of the far post.
After that point, Thistle grew into the game and were rewarded for a spell of dominance with a goal. It came from a high ball forward by Tam Scobbie which found Kris Doolan. The experienced forward then used a clever flick to direct the ball past Daryll Megatt and into the path of Andréa Mbuyi-Mutombo. The DR Congo international then burst through on goal and fired a deflected shot past Brett Long and into the back of the net. That made it three goals in four games for the attacker having netted his first Jags goal in the last round of this competition.
The away side very nearly doubled their lead in the 26th minute when Aidan Fitzpatrick went close after a quick, fluid attack. Christie Elliott was the man at the centre of it all as he made a terrific run down the right flank, drawing the East Fife left back out. This created the space for Fitzpatrick in the box who Elliott found with a smart pass. Fitzpatrick took a touch and then fired across goal, missing the far post by less than a yard as he looked to re-establish himself as the club’s top scorer in all competitions after Chris Erskine equalled his tally with the winning goal at the weekend.
East Fife had one more chance in the first half as Jonny Court tried his luck from distance. The Fifers’ joint top goalscorer picked up the ball 30 yards out as he latched onto a loose ball. He then quickly sorted his feet and took a shot which found the target. Jamie Sneddon was equal to it, getting two hands behind the ball but also holding, as an East Fife man looked to pounce on any potential parry.
Thistle started the second half in unimpressive fashion with East Fife looking much improved following half time and they were rewarded for their improvement with a goal on 51 minutes. A cross into the box couldn’t be controlled by Anton Dowds but the loose ball fell to Scott Agnew and the ex-Stranraer man finished confidently past Jamie Sneddon to bring the hosts level and it was nothing less than they deserved.
In the 60th minute, Alan Archibald made his first change of the game as Blair Spittal came on for Jack Storer and Spittal almost made an instant impact. Aidan Fitzpatrick moved into some space and bent a low cross into the East Fife box, finding the late run of Blair Spittal. The number seven tried a first time shot but he fired it into the ground and the effort was blocked and cleared. The Jags then made a second alteration on 68 minutes with Chris Erskine being brought on for Aidan Fitzpatrick.
However, things got worse for the travelling Thistle side in the 73rd minute as they fell behind for the first time of the game. East Fife substitute, Kevin Smith fed the ball to fellow sub, Rory Currie on the edge of the box. The number 19 then turned and fired a powerful effort past the unsighted Jamie Sneddon at the near post. Once again, the Jags couldn’t have many complaints having conceded as the hosts had looked the better side in the second 45.
In the final 17 minutes, Thistle huffed and puffed but they couldn’t find any way through a resolute East Fife defence as the home side saw the game out for a 2-1 win, securing Irn-Bru Cup progression. The Jags consequently crashed out of the cup with only league action to worry about now, until January when the Scottish Cup returns.
The Maryhill men must now aim to bounce back in the league against Inverness Caledonian Thistle this coming Saturday as the Jags embark on their first trip to the highlands of the season. Kick-off is 15:00 from the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium.
THISTLE TEAM: Sneddon, Elliott, Keown, Scobbie, Penrice, Ntambwe, Slater, Storer (Spittal, 60’), Mutombo, Fitzpatrick (Erskine, 68’), Doolan.
UNUSED SUBS (PTH): Bell, McGinty, Wilson.
EAST FIFE TEAM: Long, Dunsmore (Smith, 70’), Kane, Megatt, Watson, Slattery, Agnew, Davidson, Watt (Docherty, 90’), Dowds, Court (Currie, 70’).
UNUSED SUBS (EAF): McDowall, Thomson, Bell.
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 5-0 win in Stanraer kicked off Partick Thistle’s 2018/19 Irn-Bru Cup campaign, a trip to Methil beckoned as the Jags took on East Fife for the first time in 16 years. However, Bayview marked the end of the Challenge Cup road for the Maryhill men as the Fifers fought back from a goal down to win 2-1 with Scott Agnew and Rory Currie providing the firepower after Andréa Mbuyi-Mutombo had given the visitors the lead. Jags boss, Alan Archibald spoke to ptfc.co.uk following an awful result for his team.
He began by analysing the first half during which he felt his side had played well and deserved their lead that was taken into half-time.
“The game was scrappy to begin with but I felt we grew into things and were good value for our lead. There were moments when we lifted the tempo that I felt we looked a class above as we should but even so, we didn’t create enough. Nevertheless, Andréa took his goal well and overall I was pretty pleased with the first half.”
He then compared that with his side’s second half display which was massively sub-par with East Fife turning the game around to secure progression.
“We asked for a bit more intensity from the lads in the second half and we didn’t get it whatsoever. In fact, we got the complete opposite as our guys really fell away. We let them back into things when we should have just stayed calm and controlled the game. We became panicked and allowed them too many chances. At the other end, we were even less efficient in the final third and barely troubled their goal.”
Archie mentioned his displeasure in the way his side used the ball. He felt his team were slack in possession and lacked a cutting edge which East Fife found after the interval.
“We were really poor with the ball and when you play a team from the league below, you need to use the ball well. You want that quality to shine through but it simply didn’t. We gave them the ball far too easily and that only encouraged them. Also, when we got into the attacking third, we were far too negative and that meant East Fife were comfortable. We should have made it a much tougher end to the game than we did.”
The gaffer finished by praising the hosts, East Fife, who fought for everything and in his eyes, deserved the victory they got.
“We were very poor but you do have to give East Fife credit. Lots of lower league teams might crumble after falling one behind but they stuck to their task and fought their way back into things. They had greater desire and looked like they wanted it more so we can’t complain about losing this one.”
A more in depth video interview with Alan Archibald is available now to Jagzone subscribers and will be followed by reaction from Christie Elliott and Jamie Sneddon. 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.
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 8 September, 2018
Irn Bru Challlenge Cup 
Locality Hub Bayview Stadium
Doolan plays in Erskine but an East Fife defender is across to clear.
Doolan gets on the end of a Scobbie long ball but sends his shot over the bar. That could be that for Thistle's Irn-Bru Cup campaign.
Erskine's cross is cleared as Doolan is penalised for a shove.
Thistle trying to grab the equaliser but, in truth, have threatened the East Fife goal very little in the last ten minutes.
Watt cuts inside from the right hand side which takes a deflection behind for a corner.
Watt with a shot from 30 yards which flies out the stadium.
A great save from Sneddon denies Smith as the East Fife side look for a third.
Spittal's effort is blocked at the edge of the box before Slater tries an ambitious one from 25 yards which goes wide.
East Fife break through substitute Smith who passes to Currie. Currie's effort goes beyond Sneddon and into the corner of the net.
Thistle break away with pace. Fitzpatrick sends over a cross but it is too high and floats out for a goal kick
Watt drills the ball across goal but no East Fife player is there to divert it home.
Slater pings it wide to Fitzpatrick. His cross is met by Spittal who has his shot blocked.
Slater tries to a clear a free kick but slices his clearance forcing Sneddon into a great reaction save.
Mutombo is shoved by Dunsmore winning a free kick on the edge of the box. The Jags number 18 takes it quickly and sprays it wide to Elliott who can't pick out a Jag with the cross
Loose possession from Thistle allows the home side to attack. Watt at the back post has a shot blocked by Ntambwe and Thistle clear.
A long ball into the box bounces around and falls to Agnew on the edge of the box who makes no mistake.
Scobbie looks like he has been fouled inside the Jags half before Dunsmore shoots from the edge of the box and sends the ball out the stadium.
Fitzpatrick runs down the right hand side and fires over a low cross which is cleared by the East Fife defence.
Davidson slips as he hits a shot sailing wide of goal.
Fitzpatrick turns the defence. He plays it right to Elliott who fires a cross which can't reach Doolan or Fitzpatrick. It does find Mutombo who wins a corner for the Jags
A rare East Fife shot ends with Sneddon saving well from Court after he pounced on a slack clearance.
A short corner between Mutombo and Slaters works well until Slater overhits his cross slightly.
The East Fife defence are caught sleeping as Storer pushes forward. He tries to pick out Doolan, it deflects to Fitzpatrick before the home side clear away for a Jags throw.
Doolan completes the clearance for Thistle before Fitzpatrick scampers over it sending it deep in the East Fife half.
A free kick from close to the half way line is headed behind by Elliott
Dunsmore makes a bursting run down the right hand side but Penrice is across to cover.
Elliott powers down the right hand side. He cuts it inside to Fitzpatrick but the angle is too narrow and the youngster can only fire the ball across goal and out for a goal kick.
Agnew collides with Sneddon as the East Fife attacker goes for a cross giving Thistle a free kick inside the Jags box.
Scobbie's clearance is flicked on by Doolan towards Mutombo. He holds off a couple of defenders to fire home from inside the box.
Great link up play between Mutombo and Penrice finds Storer who can't quite get his cross correct for the men in the box.
It is a good delivery which goes through the box. Ntambwe can't get a boot to send it goalwards before it is passed to Storer. His shot from 25 yards is always rising over the bar.
Fitzpatrick picks the pocket of an East Fife defender before winning a corner.
Sneddon's kick out is flicked on by Storer who feeds Penrice. The left back advances and whips over a great cross which East Fife clear. Thistle keep the possession and an excellent Storer cross is destined for Doolan before being headed clear.
Good footwork from Mutombo creates space on the left hand side before firing over a cross which finds Slater deep. East Fife clear.
Fitzpatrick has the beating of his man again as he gets on the end of his own pass down the touchline to win a throw.
Meggatt meets the corner and heads it past the back post. A real let off for the Jags there.
Fitzpatrick picks up the ball wide on the right. He cuts back a couple of defenders to get into the central areas. His shot hits a body and deflects away from goal before East Fife boot clear.
A good delivery meets an East Fife head but the effort can't get on target.
East Fife win a free kick wide of the box about 22 yards from goal.
The ball spending a lot of time in the air in the early stages as both sides try to get to grips with the game. The first free kick is for offside as East Fife attack.
Kris Doolan gets us underway shooting right to left.