Sat 25 October, 2014
SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership 
Firhill Stadium, Glasgow
SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership
Sat 25 October, 2014. Kick Off: - 15:00
Firhill Stadium, Glasgow
As the team prepare for the match against St Johnstone, we spoke to Alan Archibald to find out how preparations were going.
“St Johnstone will be a tough, there’s no doubt about that. We’ve always had very close games against them, they edged us 1-0 at Firhill and the other two were draws last season. We know what we’re going to get with them, they’re a well organised, tight side and they can be very difficult to break down. Having said that there are areas where you can get some joy against them.
“I think they’re missing Stevie May and Steven MacLean but which team wouldn’t miss two quality players? They’ve brought in Brian Graham and McFadden, two boys that we know all about so they will be dangerous.”
It was well publicised that James McFadden trained with Thistle for a number of weeks at the beginning of the season and Alan will have his team well prepared.
“James has a role in the team now that allows him to go and hurt teams. I think he’ll play as a kind of number 10 or up front as a striker and he’s given that licence to get up and cause problems. I think Faddy kept all of his good performances for against us last season, that tied in with the fact he was obviously here at the start of the season means our lads know all about him. It’s good to have that knowledge but all that counts is what happens out there on the pitch.”
Archie felt robbed last week after a poor decision led to a late penalty and resulted in the Jags leaving Dundee with nothing but the important thing for the Firhill gaffer is how his team moves on from that.
“I think it was probably one of our best performances so far this season. We nullified them and played ever so well – it’s just one of those things – but it doesn’t make it any easier to take. We’ll take the positives from it and move into today’s game confident that we can rectify last week’s result with a good performance and all three points here today.
“Our home form this season has been good to be fair so there’s no reason we shouldn’t be confident of building on that against St Johnstone.”
All that was left was for the gaffer to give us the all important team news, and it’s good news on the injury front.
“We’re happy with how all the injured lads are recovering and we’re in the position where we should have a full squad to choose from in the very near future. Gary Fraser and Kallum Higginbotham are both recovering well and Sean Welsh has been training with us and is just lacking a bit of match fitness really.”
It was a frustrating afternoon for Thistle as they were forced to settle for a point in a goalless draw played in difficult conditions at Firhill.
Although defeated at Tannadice the previous weekend there had been much to be encouraged about in the performance produced by Thistle and manager Alan Archibald kept changes to his team from that game down to the bare minimum. Dan Seaborne’s red card against Dundee United meant that he missed this game and Frederic Frans replacing him, as he made his Jags debut, proved to be the only change to the starting eleven.
While Frans himself settled well into his role in the centre of the Thistle defence the team struggled to find the same fluency of performance that they produced at Tannadice against a St Johnstone side on a poor return and perhaps approaching the game with not losing a priority.
It took Thistle 14 minutes to create their first real chance of the game. Steven Lawless did well to find some space just outside the St Johnstone box. There wasn’t, however, room for a shot so he pushed the ball into the path of James Craigen who from a promising position shot straight at Mannus in the St Johnstone goal.
Thistle’s next opportunity came in the 27th minute with Steven Lawless again involved in the heart of the move; his cut back clipping the heel of Kris Doolan when he looked set for a scoring opportunity 8 yards from goal. Although the ball did break into the path of Stuart Bannigan he saw his effort blocked by a St Johnstone defender.
The ball just wasn’t falling for Kris Doolan and he was unfortunate in the 35th minute when he was just unable to connect with a James Craigen cross from the left; the Thistle player picking up a knock in the process.
St Johnstone up to this point had offered little as an attacking force but they ended the half after having had perhaps the best two chances of the opening 45 minutes. In the 38th minute Lee Croft found himself clear inside the Thistle box but was thwarted by Scott Fox who made a fine stop.
Two minutes later a Croft corner from the left was met by the unchallenged head of Brian Graham who nodded wide of goal when he will feel that he should have done better.
Thistle started the second half in positive fashion and inside the first minute Christie Elliott threatened the St Johnstone goal when he cut inside from the left only to see his shot drift wide of goal.
Elliott did have the ball in the net for Thistle in the 53rd minute and in spectacular fashion but play had already been halted for an earlier infringement although the player himself may not have been aware of that fact.
Frustration continued to grow as Thistle struggled to get a clear look at goal despite dominating the game in terms of possession. Conrad Balatoni was able to head on a James Craigen corner but St Johnstone were able to clear in a perfect example of the frustrations that Thistle were encountering and Steven Lawless tamely lifted a free kick over the bar after Stephen O’Donnell had been fouled at the edge of the St Johnstone box.
Although St Johnstone were a little limited in their ambitions there was always the chance that they would sneak a goal and James McFadden tried to curl an effort beyond the reach of Scott Fox but could only shot straight at the Thistle keeper.
Scott Fox would claim his second clean sheet of the league season, the first since the opening league game, but he had to produce an important save close to his left hand post with the clock showing 90 minutes played when Davidson was able to head a Croft free kick towards the Thistle goal.
Deep into injury time Thistle had a chance to snatch a late winner when they won a free kick close to the edge of the St Johnstone box but Eccleston could do more than strike the centre of the St Johnstone wall.
No match reaction.
