Sat 14 March, 2015
SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership 
Firhill StadiumKris Doolan (3), Conrad Balatoni (9), Stuart Bannigan (65).
SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership
Sat 14 March, 2015. Kick Off: - 15:00
Firhill Stadium
Thistle boss, Alan Archibald, spoke to ptfc.co.uk ahead of Saturday’s match against St Johnstone. The Jags gaffer was realistic about the position Thistle now find themselves in but optimistic about the coming games.
“We know the position we’re in, we know are involved in a relegation battle. I think the first signs were there when we lost at home to Ross County, we perked up with a win against United but last week’s result put us right back in the same position. Having said that we also know that there is a long way to go and we are still in the strongest position of those bottom four clubs.
“I think we can draw on where we were last season when we were in a difficult position playing tough tough matches. We will be drawing on all the character and experience we gained last season and I have no doubt that we have enough quality to be well clear by the end of the season.”
At one point Thistle looked in no danger of being dragged into the battle but the recent poor run of form has changed that.
“I think that is exactly what happens when you go on a poor run of form and we have slipped right into it. It doesn’t help when County go on their strongest run of the season but we just have to concentrate on our own game. The good thing is that it is still very much in our own hands and we just need to make sure we do what we need to do.”
Much has been made of the pitches in Scottish football and Archibald is aware of the fact this may dictate a change in playing style for many teams, including Thistle.
“I think everyone has to take a look at how they play at this time of the season. The pitches make it more difficult to play the style of football that we like and we have to adapt our game accordingly. We’ve noticed that in the last three or four weeks and the necessity to get the ball forward more quickly is clear. That isn’t to say we should go long ball, you just need to look at out performance a few weeks ago on a poor Tannadice pitch to see that we can play great football on bobbly pitches. The main thing is that we adjust to fit the conditions and to do that our tempo has to be right.”
Inconsistency in player availability has mirrored Thistle’s inconsistency on the pitch this season with injury and illness causing no end of headaches for the Jags boss. This week will be no different as Archie talks us through his team news.
“Higginbotham is suspended, obviously and Sean Welsh remains out. Seaborne and Booth are both doubtful, Dan has an ankle issue and Callum has a problem with his knee. Christie Elliott will miss out too after breaking a bone in his hand.”
After the disappointment of the result up in Dingwall the previous weekend it was back to Firhill for Thistle as they looked to put some daylight between themselves and the teams below them. The opponents were St Johnstone, a side chasing a top six place and one that has, over the years, posed Thistle problems. Manager, Alan Archibald, made four changes from the starting eleven which faced Ross County. Scott Fox returned in goal, Callum Booth took his place at left back having returned from injury while Kris Doolan and Ryan Stevenson, substitutes the previous week, started. Kallum Higginbotham missed out through suspension while Paul Gallacher, Lyle Taylor and Dale Keenan sat on the bench.
It was Thistle who were immediately on the front foot straight from the kick off and a clever ball into the box from O’Donnell saw Scobbie slash a wild clearance out for a throw in. From O’Donnell’s long throw the visitors failed to clear properly and Osman collected the ball in the box, drove past his man to the byeline and chipped a lovely cross into the middle where Doolan had cleverly peeled off his marker to power a header past Mannus and give the Jags a 1-0 lead after only three minutes. A dream start for the home side.
It was only three minutes until the next Jags chance would come along when Doolan pounced on hesitation in the Saints defence and nipped in between Mannus and Anderson to find himself with an open goal in front of him, albeit from an increasingly tight angle. In the end the geometry defeated Dools and he could only find the side netting with his falling effort. The early chances were a sign of what was to come and, in the ninth minute, Thistle extended their lead. Bannigan’s corner found the run of Balatoni at the near post and he headed home his first goal since scoring in Inverness, to make it 2-0 to the Jags.
Thistle continued to overrun the visitors and Craigen slipped a lovely pass to Stevenson who saw his shot brilliantly saved by Mannus. Lawless was also unlucky with his control from a Bannigan cross before a mistake from Frans at the other end allowed McLean a run but Balatoni was alert to the danger and cleared well.
It was almost three in the 36th minute when a low O’Donnell cross clipped the heels of Lawless and fell perfectly to Doolan, he passed back to Lawless and the Saints’ Anderson got himself in a mess. The clearance hit Davidson and found Stevenson six yards out but his volley smashed off the outside of the post.
The visitors nearly pulled one back just on half time when a cross into the box found O’Halloran who volleyed over Fox’s bar to keep the score at 2-0 for Thistle – a score line the home side more than deserved. Into the second half and Balatoni lost his marker again from a Bannigan corner but this time he headed over from eight yards.
As the match ticked on and frustration built for the visitors, there was an incident when Bannigan was fouled by Millar who appeared to kick the Jags star in the back when he was on the ground. Referee, Collum, was only a couple of yards away but chose to do nothing, much to the disgust of the noisy home support.
Craigen saw a shot from a tight angle go over the bar after a late burst into the box while, at the other end, Scott Fox finally had a save to make when Davidson got his head on an Easton cross. Foxy caught the ball comfortably and with the minimum of fuss.
Thistle finally and deservedly extended their lead in the 65th minute. Millar gave away a free kick after a swipe at Stevenson and O’Donnell’s cross from the resultant set piece was only partially cleared by the visitors’ defence. As the ball fell to the edge of the box Bannigan took a touch to his left before firing a fizzer of a shot from 20 yards past the despairing dive of Mannus to make it 3-0 to the Jags. Bannigan’s celebration showed how pleased he was as his team mates struggled to catch him in the ensuing raptures.
With the game now out of the visitors reach it was a rather comfortable last twenty five minutes for the home side. Balatoni did well to get back and block McLean out after he had got behind the defence, but Fox could have smoked a cigar throughout the game such was the lack of action he saw!
As the referee blew for full time it was a happy home support and a very happy set of players on the pitch. The home side thoroughly deserved their 3-0 victory and with results elsewhere going our way it was a good day all round for the Jags.
After a great start Thistle went on to dispatch St Johnstone three goals to nil, rounding off a near perfect display and a terrific day in the office for Thistle gaffer, Alan Archibald. Archie spoke to ptfc.co.uk shortly after the final whistle.
“The start to the game was absolutely vital that we started the game well today and we knew that the first goal would have a massive impact on who would eventually go on to win the game. We’ve had a couple of bad performances here lately and so it was really important to come out of the blocks sharp so our confidence was up.
“We had to make changes again this week with injuries and suspensions so it was a different looking team today but they went out there and did exactly what we asked of them. The changes worked and we worked hard from front to back.”
It was a slight change of tactics from Thistle Lawless, Doolan and Stevenson all in attacking roles but it was a risk that well and truly paid off.
“It was great to get them all playing and they played very well together. It was a really capped off with Doolan’s goal but, to be fair, Stevenson could easily have had one too. In fact we could have been three or four up at half time, it was a great display.”
Thistle now edge ever closer to securing Premiership survival for next term, but Archibald knows it is far from done and dusted.
“All the teams in the bottom six will have their ups and downs and we just need to look after ourselves. I certainly wouldn’t say we’re safe yet but we have taken a step in that direction today. More performances like that will certainly help and we have a great opportunity to move further clear next week.
“We are still missing the consistency of performance in a big way. We seem to either be brilliant or terrible and we need a few more performances where we might not play teams off the park but we work hard and get a result. St Johnstone have made a habit of winning games 1-0 this season and that is why they are where they are and we are where we are.”
