SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership
Sat 24 February, 2018. Kick Off: - 15:00
SuperSeal Stadium, Hamilton
Supporters’ Information:
Admission Details:
Thistle supporters will be located in the North Stand.
Prices:
Adults – £22
Concessions(under 18s and over 65s) – £12
Supporters’ Buses:
City Centre Branch:
Pick ups:
Q Club – 12:20
Station Bar – 12:30
Non members welcome.
Please call 07979496154 or email to book.
Jordanhill Branch:
Pick ups:
Jordanhill Station – 13:45
Thornwood Bar – 13:50
Prices:
£12 for adults
£6 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 – 13:15
Esquire House – 13:35
Maryhill Community Halls – 13:45
Prices:
£11 for adults
£7 for concessions.
Dundee’s last gasp comeback on Saturday was undoubtedly a bitter pill for the Jags management, players and fans to take. As is always the case at this time of year though the players will get another chance to make amends soon as they return to Ladbrokes Premiership action this weekend with a trip to the SuperSeal Stadium on the cards.
The clash give Alan Archibald’s side the chance to put a bit of daylight between the Jags and Accies but one thing is for sure – it won’t be easy. Despite having a decent record against Accies, Archie was clear that the clash would not be one the Maryhill side would be taking lightly when he spoke to ptfc.co.uk ahead of training on Friday.
He said: “Obviously after the disappointing result last week it makes this one even more significant. It’s kind of roles reversed for us unfortunately as last week we were looking to catch Dundee but now we’re looking over our shoulders again and trying to put some space between ourselves and Hamilton but the incentive is just as big – it’s a massive game for both sides.
“I’ve no idea what Martin will be thinking after that game on Sunday! They are that type of team though, they’re always a threat and score in a lot of the games they play. That threat is something we’re well aware of but we’ve got to look at the other side as well, they’ve shown that they can concede and we just need to analyse how Rangers hurt them and look to do the same.
“It’ll be a different game this week though, they were playing Rangers on Sunday and obviously that brings its own challenge but this week I think there’s more at stake for both sides and it will be a battle – that’s for certain.”
The Dundee defeat was certainly a tough one to take but Archibald insists the players will need to put it out of their heads if they are to achieve what is required this weekend.
“Even now it still hurts a little bit in terms of the way we lost the game. We spoke to the lads after the game and at the start of the week and I think they’ve got it out of their system now and it’s our job to try and get a response and a reaction this Saturday. We analysed the good and the bad from Saturday and watched it back, we’re always honest with the guys and listen to their opinions too. The important thing though is that we learn from it going into the next game.
“There was definitely a bit of shock at how we lost the game last week. I think most of the games we’ve won this season we’ve won them really well and displayed excellent game management. I think Saturday was almost too nice a game and we tried to play football right until the end which maybe cost us. We maybe just needed to look to close the game out at 1-0 and we’ve done that a few times this season, we possibly should have just shut up shop. We need to learn from that experience though and take the positives from the first half, we can’t sit licking our wounds.
Any Thistle fans who watched the Jags hard fought Development League draw with Falkirk at the Excelsior Stadium on Monday will have seen Christie Elliott get some more pitch time, playing 67 minutes in the clash. The imminent return of the “Jarrow Arrow” is only the latest in a series of positive pieces of injury news after so many negatives already this season. It was enough to bring a smile to Archibald’s face as he explained the current state of his squad.
“Yea it’s looking pretty good to be fair. Christie Elliott is nearly there, he’ll play another development squad game against Celtic and hopefully get 90 minutes under his belt which should get him back into the squad for the following week. Paul McGinn comes back from his suspension last week and Stuart Bannigan is still out. Other than that, we’re at full strength which is good because we’ll need everything we’ve got for the run in to the split.”
More exclusive video interviews with Chris Erskine, Miles Storey and Jags gaffer, Alan Archibald are now 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 SuperSeal Stadium? Jagzone members can listen to live audio commentary of the match. JagZoneLIVE begins at 2:30pm on Saturday.
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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.
The Ladbrokes Premiership race for top flight survival continued this afternoon as Partick Thistle travelled to the SuperSeal Stadium to take on Hamilton Accies. Thistle came into the game having lost last week to Dundee, conceding twice in the last five minutes as the Dark Blues took all three points from the Jags. Accies were looking to bounce back from a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Rangers last Sunday. The hosts, Hamilton, started the game one point and one place below their opponents with Martin Canning’s side occupying the relegation play-off place.
Alan Archibald made three changes to the side who started against the Dee last Saturday. Martin Woods pulled out of the squad on the morning of the game due to illness and was duly replaced by Blair Spittal in the centre of the park as Ryan Edwards dropped into a deeper role. Kris Doolan came in for Miles Storey as Thistle went to a two up front, meanwhile, Daniel Devine replaced Chris Erskine to facilitate a change in formation with the travelling Jags deploying a 3-5-2 set-up.
The match started frantically and Thistle took the lead after just nine minutes. A corner from Blair Spittal was whipped into the box and out of nowhere, the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the spot. The man in charge had spotted a foul in the box by Georgios Sarris who had been too firmly tussling with Daniel Devine. It was Conor Sammon who stepped up to take the spot kick and the Irishman buried the penalty as he found the bottom corner despite Gary Woods getting a touch on it. The goal is Sammon’s ninth for the season and his seventh in 2018.
The Jags weren’t allowed to enjoy their lead for long, however, as the home side drew level just two minutes later. Straight from kick-off, Accies were able to win a corner and the hosts made the most of their set-piece opportunity. Dougie Imrie delivered the ball towards the near post area and Antonio Rojano was the man to meet it. The number 20 had made an excellent run and rose highest to guide it into the far corner with a deft flick at the front stick.
The game then became increasingly scrappy but the Jags almost retook the lead on 28 minutes. Blair Spittal delivered a teasing ball into the Accies box which was met by Kris Doolan who nodded home from close range. The Jags centurion reeled away to celebrate his 100th league goal in the red and yellow but his celebration were halted by the linesman’s flag as the goal was chalked off.
The game continued to lack creativity and style and as such, the teams failed to create much more in the first half and the break arrived with the scores level. Thistle had struggled to get their foot on the ball during the opening 45 and because of this, creative players like Blair Spittal had found themselves mostly out of the game. The away side would be forced into a half-time change as Conor Sammon was replaced by Miles Storey due to an injury sustained due to the pitch.
Both sides had half chances as the second half started with Mustapha Dumbuya, Lewis Ferguson, Baily Cargill and Marios Ogkmpoe all having opportunities, however, in an attempt to rejuvenate his side’s creative forces, Alan Archibald brought Chris Erskine on for Blair Spittal in the 71st minute.
The change almost paid off instantly as Chris Erskine created a great chance just one minute after being introduced to the contest. The number ten took a left-footed corner which he bent towards the penalty spot. His delivery found Thistle centre-half, Niall Keown who struck the ball first time. The number five met the ball well but smashed the effort well over the bar.
The midfielder then set up another chance in the 74th minute. Erskine skipped past his marker, Scott McMann and lifted a cut back towards the black shirts of his teammates. He found Callum Booth with the pass and the left-back fired a shot goalward, looking for his first of the season. The defender’s effort was powerful enough but was too central and Gary Woods was able to save and hold easily.
In the 86th minute, Steven Lawless replaced Kris Doolan to add a body to Thistle midfield in an attempt to improve the flow of the Jags’ play.
The visitors continued to push for a winning goal but it was the hosts who grabbed the three points late on, against the run of play. A throw in came from the Accies left and Lewis Ferguson got the ball. He skilfully turned away from Ryan Edwards and cut the ball back into the danger area. It finds Rojano who forces a terrific save from Tomas Cerny but the ball falls back to David Templeton who controled and fires into the net to make it 2-1 to Hamilton.
It was late heartbreak for the away team but the Jags would have one last chance to salvage a draw from the game. Mustapha Dumbuya created some space for himself on the right wing and the defender curled a great cross into the box. Chris Erskine met the delivery and headed on goal but just as it seemed destined to find the top corner, Gary Woods turned the effort away with a strong right hand.
That would be all for the game as the Jags fell to a second late defeat in two weeks. Thistle dropped into the bottom two after the defeat with Hamilton leapfrogging the Maryhill men into tenth. Alan Archibald’s side now have a week to regroup and prepare for another crunch match as they take on bottom of the table Ross County. Kick-off is 15:00 from the Global Energy Arena.
THISTLE TEAM: Cerny, Dumbuya, Keown, Devine, Cargill, Booth, Osman, Edwards, Spittal (Erskine, 71’), Sammon (Storey, HT), Doolan (Lawless, 86’).
UNUSED SUBS (PTH): Scully, Penrice, McGinn, Barton.
ACCIES TEAM: Woods, Imrie, Tomas, Sarris (van der Weg, 67’), Want (McMann, 30’), Lyon, Ferguson, Gogic (Jenkins, 37’), Templeton, Ogkmpoe, Rojano.
UNUSED SUBS (HAM): Fulton, Miller, Bingham, Redmond.
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.
It was more late heartbreak for Partick Thistle this afternoon as the Jags conceded late to drop points for the second week in a row. After losing two late goals to Dundee last Saturday, Thistle were beaten by another injury time winner today as David Templeton struck in the dying moments of the Jags’ clash with Hamilton to give Accies the win. The match started well for Thistle with Conor Sammon putting the Maryhill men ahead with a ninth minute penalty, however, the away side didn’t enjoy the lead for long, though, as their hosts equalised just two minutes later through Antonio Rojano. The game then ebbed and flowed for a long period until Thistle retook control in the second half. The travelling Jags passed up opportunity after opportunity with Niall Keown, Callum Booth and Mustapha Dumbuya all missing chances. The misses would come back to bite Thistle too as David Templeton scored for Hamilton in additional time to nab the points for his side. The loss leaves Thistle in 11th spot with Hamilton leapfrogging them in the Ladbrokes Premiership table. Jags boss, Alan Archibald, spoke to ptfc.co.uk following the match.
Archie started by telling us about how disappointed he is that, despite a lot of work in training, his side didn’t learn from their mistakes last week.
“It’s two weeks in a row now and we can’t make excuses; it’s no one’s fault but our own. We haven’t actually learned from last week which is the most disappointing thing. We had three centre-halves on and I thought that we had enough experience and know-how in the team to avoid another late goal. We were the better team for much of the second half and I thought that we looked comfortable for most of that time too but that counts for absolutely nothing when you defend like we did in added time.”
The gaffer was also very unhappy with how quickly the Jags allowed Hamilton back into the game following Conor Sammon’s opener.
“The manner in which we lose that goal was very disappointing in itself and then when you consider how soon it was after our goal, it makes it even worse. It comes straight from our kick-off; they launch a ball forward and then get a corner from it. After that, we have to defend the corner much better. Hamilton are a tall side and we knew that. We’d worked on defending set-pieces through the week especially after conceding to one against Dundee but still we get done by a corner. It’s extremely frustrating and we clearly need to work more on set plays.”
At 1-1 there was a goal that Thistle had ruled out much to the chagrin of the scorer Kris Doolan. He nodded home a Blair Spittal free-kick from close range, however, the assistant referee flagged him offside. Alan admitted that he couldn’t tell whether the forward was off or not but said that those are the decisions that feel a lot harsher when you’re scrapping for points at the bottom of the table.
“Kris says that he was onside but from the dugout there’s no way of knowing. Even our video footage doesn’t help to clear it up but you have to trust the linesman’s call. Obviously, it was tough to take as that could have set on the path to victory but it’s not like we didn’t have other chances to retake the lead and in the end we should have scored at least once from those opportunities.”
The Thistle manager then told us of how important next week’s clash with Ross County has now become. The Jags currently sit three points clear of the Staggies and another three points added onto that would take a tiny bit of the pressure of the players’ shoulders going into a tough run of games.
“It intensifies the pressure for next week’s game, without a doubt. It was already massive but now it’s 11th against 12th and a win could draw them level on points with us. We’ll get the lads in on Monday, try to analyse what went wrong today and build towards next Saturday.”
As Archie discussed, the Jags now prepare for a lengthy trip up North to take on Ross County at the Global Energy Arena. The two teams currently occupy the bottom two spots of the Ladbrokes Premiership so the game is one of huge importance. Kick-off is 15:00 from the Highlands.
A more in depth video interview with Alan Archibald is available now to Jagzone subscribers and will be followed by reaction from Baily Cargill and Daniel Devine. Log in now to see it as soon as it is available.
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Highlights will be added shortly and will be free for Jagzone subscribers.
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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 24 February, 2018
SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership 
SuperSeal Stadium, Hamilton
Dumbuya's cross finds Erskine who heads on goal. Woods produces an excellent save to deny the equaliser.
Tomas Cerny makes a fantastic save in the box but it falls to Templeton who slams home from close range.
Two added minutes.
The number ten is booked for dissent after Abdul Osman was penalised for a very soft foul.
Templeton curls a ranged effort over the baer from outsde the area.
The skipper is booked for a foul after a drop ball on Ferguson.
A clash of heads between Cargill and Templeton forces another break in play which is unfortunate for Thistle as they've looked very dangerous for the last 15 minutes.
Storey's high cross is knocked down to Dumbuya by Ryan Edwards. Dumbuya tries the left-footed volley but launches it well over.
Chris Erskine gives away a free-kick on the Accies right wing.
Chris Erskine beats McMann and gets to the by-line. He then lifts the ball back towards the penalty spot. It comes all the way to Booth at the back post but his low drive is saved by Woods. Accies then go up the other end and see Templeton fire a shot high and wide from 25 yards.
Erskine's corner skips through to Niall Keown who finds himself near the penalty spot. Under no pressure he decides to hit it first time and his shot goes well over the bar.
Callum Booth's shot is blocked behind after a quick break.
Ogkmpoe shoots from 30 yards, missing wildly by a good 20 yards.
Spittal strikes the wall but from the resulting phase of play, Miles Storey sees a powerful shot flash across ther face of goal.
The substitute Jenkins is booked for a tug-back on Spittal. Chance for either Booth or Spittal to shoot from 20 yards.
Sarris, like Gogic, isn't able to get back on and is replaced.
Baily Cargill charges out of defence to collect the ball. He tries to emulate his defensive predecessor Frederic Frans with a drilled effort into the corner but shoots wide of the goal.
Sarris is now down with an injury after seemingly picking up a knock as he challenged for the ball with Kris Doolan. He's limping but seems to be carrying on.
Spittal shoots low from 25 yards out but doesn't catch it very well and drags the effort wide.
Accies with a good attack there. Ogkmpoe's lovely lay-off seemed to have set up the shot for Ferguson but Ryan Edwards tracked well and made the tackle.
Woods gets caught under a Spittal cross. It falls to Booth but he's caught on his heels and a poor first touch sees the danger cleared.
Ogkmpoe sees an effort blocked by Cargill after Devine lost the ball in the box.
A Storey cut back finds Mustapha Dumbuya who fires well over from 15 yards with the first time effort.
The number 25 is booked for a dive in the box as he and Cargill came into close proximity.
Daniel Devine gives a free-kick away 15 yards outside the Jags box. The Hamilton defenders are up for this one.
Imrie fires a left-footed effort safely over the bar.
Hamilton have a free-kick in a central position 25 yards from goal.
Due to injury stoppages there will be three added minutes for the first half.
Both Hamilton strikers are giving their all for their cause today but their feeding off scraps as the service has been dreadful. The game has taken an overall turn towards the scrappy which is stifling creativity for both teams.
Conor Sammon bursts away from the Hamilton defence after a lovely nutmeg before being tripped by Dougie Imrie who goes into the book.
Hamilton's first substantial attack for a while has galvanated the hosts. Imrie turned Mustapha Dumbaya one way then the other before delivering a cross. Rojano met it but nodded wide of the near post under Daniel Devine's challenge.
As it turns out, after some deliberation, Gogic will not be coming back on and he'll be replaced by Jenkins.
Gogic has now gone down in need of treatment after a clash with Niall Keown. It's been a couple of minutes but he's back on his feet. It seems like he'll try to continue.
Accies only tactic so far has been to thump it high towards the Thistle back three and hope for a break. Nothing has come of it as yet but Rojano has looked good in the air.
Accies force into an early substitution. Want received some treatment earlier on but came back on the pitch. However, he can't go on and is replaced by Scott McMann.
Spittal cross found Kris Doolan who headed home from two yards, however, the linesman's flag was up and the goal won't stand. Very difficult to make a judgement from where we're sitting but no goal is the decision. Thistle beginning to control the game but they need to take advantage of that fact as it won't last.
After the initial free-kick was dealt with, Spittal was then taken out by Ogkmpoe. This free-kick is only a couple of yards outside the area.
Doolan is taken down by Gogic 15 yards outside the box. Chance for Spittal to deliver an in-swinger into the Accies box.
A ball down the channel is left by Spittal for Doolan who spins in behind. He then shoots on goal from the angle but misses by a few yards on his weaker right foot.
Callum Booth blocks David Templeton's cross after a 4-on-2 in Accies favour.
Sammon scuffs a volley from a Spittal cross but then a Hamilton defender slices a clearance for the corner.
Booth and Spittal play a one-two to get the left-back into the box. Sarris then turns a low cross behind.
Rojano meets Imrie's corner and guides it into the far corner. Brilliant header but criminal from Thistle.
The Fish fires home from 12 yards. Gary Woods gets a touch on it but he can't keep it out and it's 1-0.
The defender is booked for the foul.
Sarris is penalised for tugging in the box while a corner came in.
Sarris slices a clearance, under no pressure, behind for a corner.
Templeton drifts inside from the left and tries a reversed pass through to Ogkmpoe, however, the ball is too heavy and Cerny is out to claim.
Both teams misplacing simple passes early on which has meant there isn't much to report in either box.
A Ryan Edwards ball in behind gives Sarris problems and he is forced to hack it clear after a poor touch. Thistle then win a throw in the Accies third.
Good afternoon and welcome to the ptfc.co.uk live text commentary for Partick Thistle's trip to the SuperSeal Stadium to take on Hamilton Accies. The Jags return to action for the first time since last Saturday's late defeat to Dundee with another vital bottom six clash.
Accies sit one place and one point behind Thistle ahead of the game and are coming off the back of a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Rangers. In the other two versions of this fixture this season, there was just a single goal between them. The two sides fought to a goalless draw on a Tuesday night in October and Thistle edged out Martin Canning's side in Maryhill with Niall Keown's goal separating the sides.
Alan Archibald makes three changes to the side which went down to defeat against Dundee last Saturday. Martin Woods drops out of the squad entirely through illness while Chris Erskine and Miles Storey drop to the bench. In come Daniel Devine, making up a back three we think while Blair Spittal will add the creative flair in the Jags midfield. Kris Doolan joins Conor Sammon up front for Alan Archibald's side.
#JagZoneLIVE will bring full audio coverage of today's match with Raymond Stark and Michael Max. Tune in to be kept up to date with the all the action or you can stay with us here on ptfc.co.uk