SPFL League One
Sat 20 March, 2021. Kick Off: - 15:00
Firhill Stadium
In line with Scottish Government guidelines, this match is a closed doors match. It is imperative that all fans support the club and protect the squad by staying away from the stadium and enjoying all content safely from home.
Matchday Coverage:
Live Stream
Season Ticket Holders
For season ticket holders looking to view this weekend’s stream, click here
All season ticket holders have received details on how to log in. If you need matchday assistance with log-in details, or with viewing the stream, please contact
Pay-per-view Pass
Any supporter who wishes to watch our League 1 match against Cove Rangers can purchase a pay-per-view pass, priced at £10, from https://ppv.ptfcpass.co.uk/events
If you require any assistance with your purchase or watching the stream, please contact
For full information on how to purchase your pay-per-view pass, click here.
Audio Commentary
Audio Commentary will be available for supporters on JagZone.
Starting at 2:30, tune in to hear our commentary team take you through the ninety minutes of action, with thirty minutes of comprehensive build up before the game.
You will be able to access the audio coverage by clicking here on Saturday afternoon.
Match Previews:
Written Management Preview: Alan Archibald
Written Player Preview: Chris Erskine
JagZone Management Preview: Alan Archibald
JagZone Player Preview: Shea Gordon
In Game Coverage
We’ll have our usual in-depth text commentary right here on ptfc.co.uk.
Social Media Updates will also be available through our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels.
Post Match
After the 90 minutes of action we’ll have post match reaction from the Jags camp on JagZone. A full game replay and comprehensive highlights package will also follow on JagZone.
Match Programme
Match programmes are available to purchase online through our programme production partner Curtis Sport.
Click here to purchase the match programme for this fixture or sign up to a season long subscription.
Half Time 50/50 draw
Our 50/50 draw will be conducted at half time during Saturday’s match. Tickets are available to purchase until 3:30 on Saturday afternoon.
Click here to purchase 50/50 tickets
As we get ready to re-start our League One season we are looking forward to bringing you extensive matchday coverage through the conclusion of the campaign. Due to the current exceptional circumstances, our coverage may change or be impacted if a member of our media team is required to self-isolate at short notice. We thank you for your understanding and patience around this situation.
Competitive football returns to Firhill this weekend as Partick Thistle welcome Cove Rangers to Glasgow for League One action. The Jags haven’t played since Boxing Day when they drew 0-0 with Falkirk and restart their campaign against Paul Hartley’s Cove side. Thistle assistant manager Alan Archibald spoke to ptfc.co.uk ahead of the game:
“It’s a bit surreal to be honest. It feels like a new season to an extent and that’s been really strange after so much time off and we’ve even had a bit of sun these past few days which makes it feel like summer but we’re all really excited to be back.”
The league season has been shortened again to 18 games with the potential of a split thereafter and Alan says that does make it a bit tougher to plan ahead.
“We’ve not looked at these games in any sort of blocks because it is going to be just an intense period of game after game after game. We’ve been trying to plan the training as best we can to make sure everyone stays fit and available because when you consider they’ve only had a couple of weeks of training after coming back, we have to be careful with how much we give them away from the games.
“That balance has been difficult to hit because we know we need to get them up to speed in a very short space of time but we also don’t want to overwork them going into such a packed schedule. And on top of that, the amount of training they need to do will depend on whether or not they play so we might have 13 or 14 players who don’t need to train as much but then 10 who need topped up after a Saturday so that they’re all ready for a Tuesday.
“Also, all of our guys have a good understanding of how to look after themselves so if they aren’t here training we can trust them to stay in match shape. The experience of these two lockdowns probably helps that to be honest because they’ve needed to stay in shape for long periods of time without training.”
Our visitors Cove Rangers are sitting in second place at the moment and Archibald is expecting a very competitive game.
“I think the last live game I went and watched before the suspension was Cove playing away at Alloa and they came from behind to win playing very well. The last time we played them in October feels like a lifetime ago now and it wasn’t much of a game but they try to play football when possible and that’s what they did when I saw them against Alloa so we know it’ll be a very tough game.”
Alan concluded by giving us the latest news as far as team news is concerned for this week’s match.
“It’s pretty similar to last week. Ross Docherty, Tam O’Ware and Blair Lyons are all still out and Ryan Williamson is unavailable even though he has been back training. He could have just made the bench but we felt that since he’s only had a couple of days back with the group that he would be better served by doing some individual training on matchday.”
More exclusive preview interviews with Alan Archibald and Shea Gordon will be available for JagZone subscribers to watch today – log in to view.
JagZone subscribers will be able to tune in to live audio commentary for this weekend’s clash with Cove Rangers – click here to tune in.
There will also be a pay-per-view option, priced at £10, for non-season ticket holders who wish to watch our live stream of the match – click here for more info.
We’ll have extended highlights and a full game replay of our clash with Cove on JagZone this Saturday evening.
Article Copyright © 2021. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk
Sat 20 March, 2021
SPFL League One 
Firhill Stadium
After a poor first half this game to life in the second half but there were to be no three points for Thistle.
Sub Joe Cardle did fire Thistle into the lead with 21 minutes remaining but just wo minutes after Mouhamed Niang missed a glorious chance to double the Thistle advantage Megginson steered an excellent equaliser for the visitors. #
Both sides had chances for a winner but it was a point apiece at the finish.
Into injury time. We had an injury time winner the last time the two teams met. Will we have another today?
Erskine collects a pass from Cardle but McKenzie is equal to his shot and makes a good stop low to his right.
Penrice's shot is blocked and spins away from goal.
Both teams are striving for a winner and Gordon spoons a shot over the Cove crossbar.
Wright keeps Thistle level as he makes an excellent save to deny Megginson a second goal. The rebound is collected by McAllister who can't hit target.
Cardle's corner to the back post is a good one but at the back post Niang doesn't have enough space to get his header on target.
Thistle are nearly back in front as Cardle's effort is deflected just wide.
It's an excellent finish from Megginson who shoots across Wright and in the bottom corner of the net.
Niang misses a glorious chance to net what surely would have been a game clinching goal. The ball falls to him about 12 yards out directly in front of goal but he lifts his shot high over te bar.
Cove's Graham comes through the back of Brian Graham and collects a yellow card.
Chris Erskine summed up in the space of a few seconds. He quickly gets the ball, some clever play finds him space before he falls over trying to get a cross over.
Cardle finds space at the right hand side of the Cove. He takes a touch or two before shooting and while it isn't perhaps the cleanest of strikes it's good enough to beat McKenzie.
Megginson advances into the Thistle box and whether his final effort is a shot or a cross it goes wide of goal.
Graham isn't able to get his head to Masson's corner.
That cross is Murray's last contribution of the afternoon as he is replaced by Cardle.
Murray has room on the right but there too much on his cross and the ball goes out.
Masson puts over a great cross towards the Thistle back post where Foster does well to clear. That's the nearest we have come to a Cove goal this afternoon.
It looks as if we might see the first Thistle sub soon. Cardle looks to be getting ready for action.
Although Cove don't threaten the Thistle goal from two quick corners in succession they remain on the attack.
Graham is caught offside halting a promising Thistle move down the left hand side.
That's probably the best chance yet for Thistle. Graham delivers an excellent ball into the box where it is met by the run of Gordon but he can't divert his header on target. Gordon may well feel he should have done a shade better.
Murray is entrusted with this free kick and he delivers it into a good area but the ball is cleared. It's collected by Gordon who knocks it back towards goal where a MacIver flick takes the ball wide of target.
Penrice has his heels clipped and Thistle have a free kick wide on the left.
We're back underway.
No changes from either side at the break.
Neither side have managed a shot on target during the opening 45 minutes.
A Brownlie header and a Murray shot that both went wide of McKenzie's left hand post were probably the most notable of Thistle's efforts while McKenzie has been largely untroubled in the home goal.
Over the piece Thistle have, perhaps, been marginally the better of the two teams but have been wasteful at set plays.
It's wasteful from Thistle as Penrice's free kick strikes the Cove wall.
MacIver is fouled almost right on the edge of the Cove box.
A hint of an opportunity for MacIver who turns inside the Cove box but he can't keep his shot down and the ball clears the Cove crossbar.
It's a poor corner from Penrice and is cleared at the front post.
Murray's shot is deflected wide for a Thistle corner.
Just at the moment Thistle aren't seeing too much of the ball as Cove dominate possession.
MacIver and Penrice combine really well down the left but Penrice's crossing lets him down and the ball is cleared,
MacIver wins the ball and drives forward with purpose but there are no options open to him either to his left or to his right and he is eventually crowded out.
Scully's shot is blocked by Gordon after Cove have Thistle under some pressure following Brownlie losing possession of the ball deep inside his own half.
It's Penrice again with the corner but the referee spots an infringement as Penrice's outswinger comes over and Cove win a free kick.
Murray is again able to deliver a cross from wide on the right. It goes deep to the back post where Penrice can only head the ball towards the Cove keeper who collects with ease.
Murray does well to get a cross over from the right but MacIver can do no more than deflect the ball wide of goal.
Thistle have their first effort on goal. Gordon wins the ball in midfield with Bannigan in turn collecting the ball. He finds Murray to his right and his effort is wide of McKenzie's left hand post.
Foster plays a ball over the top that McKenzie has to be quick to collect ahead of Graham. Thistle just starting to get in their stride.
Penrice takes the corner and although Brownlie finds space and as able to get his head to the ball his header takes the ball away from goal and wide of the far post.
Thistle get the game underway and are shooting towards the City End in the first half.
It feels less a resumption of the season and more a brand new start today but it is very much the former as Cove Rangers visit Firhill for a league game for the very first time.
A look at the current league table and the amount of games to be played within a very short period of time means that there is little margin of error if Thistle want to make an immediate return to the Championship.
During the enforced break manager Ian McCall was able to make a number of additions to his squad but of those new signings Ross MacIver is the only one to start today's game.
The other new recruits, Steven Bell, Chris Erskine, Adam Devine and Andrew Geggan all start on the bench this afternoon.
A red card received against Falkirk last time out, way back on Boxing Day, means that Zac Rudden sits this one out due to a period of suspension.