Sat 9 April, 2016
SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership 
Victoria Park, Dingwall.Alex Schalk 14′
SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership
Sat 9 April, 2016. Kick Off: - 15:00
Victoria Park, Dingwall.
Summary
The last game before the split sees Thistle make the longest journey they will undertake in this season’s SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership. Thistle will be looking to harness the spirit of the victory they got at the Global Energy Stadium 12 months ago in the first game of the 2014/15 post-split, when the side came from behind to win 2-1.
The Global Energy Stadium has been upgraded as per the rules of the Scottish Premier League(which was when Ross County first played in the top tier of Scottish football) meaning Thistle supporters are no longer able to enjoy standing on the terracing at the North end of the ground.
Entry
Entry to the Global Energy Stadium is similar to the Firhill in that all spectators must acquire a ticket from the ticket office prior to entering the ground. Once entering the ground the toilets are located to the left hand side, with three snack bars offering a variety of hot and cold food and drinks. Thistle supporters climb into the stand on the right hand side emerging half way up into the stand.
Ross County’s away day prices are one of the lowest in the Premiership and are priced as follows;
Adults: £20
Concessions (Over 65, Under 18 & Students in Full Time Education): £12
Under 16s: £10
Travel
Dingwall is now well served by public transport meaning that the trip to the Highlands isn’t as fraught as it once was.
Train
If you haven’t already booked train travel for tomorrow’s journey north then you are in for some fairly hefty fares, with all the advance tickets already being scooped up. There are three trains which depart from Glasgow Central, due to the ongoing rail engineering works which will get you to Dingwall in time for kick off, leaving at 06:43, 08:14 and 09:44. The 08:14 requires a change in Perth but the other two are direct to Inverness. Once in Inverness, a change is required for the connecting train to Dingwall or, alternatively, you can go to Inverness Bus Station for the stagecoach bus to Dingwall which travels twice an hour.
On the way back it will be a late finish with the train not leaving Dingwall until after 19:00 or, if you opt to leave sharp a Stagecoach bus will be able to take you to Inverness where you can catch the train to Glasgow, via a connection in Perth, at 18:46
Supporters Bus
North West Bus
Pick ups:
Milngavie Station: 09:00
Esquire Anniesland: 09:15
Maryhill CC Halls: 09:30
Prices:
Full Fare: £25.00
Concession: £15.00
(School aged children, unwaged adults, senior citizens & matriculated students)
City Centre Bus
Pick ups:
Q-Club: 8.50
Station bar: 09:00
Non members welcome, to book call Duncan on 07979496154
Jordanhill Bus
Pick-ups:
Jordanhill: 09:00
Thornwood: 09:10
Pick-ups:
Adults: £20.00
Concessions: £10.00
To make a booking contact Alistair on 07817612563 / . Booking is essential. For general enquiries contact Iain on 07779668357 / .
Car
It’s a pretty straight road to Dingwall from Glasgow with the A9 providing the bulk of the journey. Upon arriving in Inverness, Dingwall is well signposted and Thistle supporters will pass the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium as they make their way over the Kessock Bridge. Fans should continue along the A9 before turning left at the Tore roundabout onto the A835.
There is extremely limited car parking at the Global Energy Stadium, so on street parking away from the ground is best utilised.
Pubs & Eating
Dingwall has a variety of pubs for Thistle fans to enjoy both pre and post-match. The Mallard is the nearest pub to the ground for away supporters and is conveniently located on the platform of Dingwall train station, making it a popular haunt for Jags fans as they arrive, and prepare to leave, Dingwall. It has all the usual selections of drinks and shows live football on television, although there is the drawback of plastic tumblers on the orders of the British Transport Police.
The Viking is the other, well used, option for Thistle supporters. You are always sure of a good atmosphere and a warm welcome from behind the bar, while there is a pool table to get the competitive spirit flying.
There are plenty more options of public houses as you progress down Dingwall high street as well as plenty of local bakeries and shops to catch a bite to eat. The most intriguing place for a pre-match lunch has to be the Wimpy located in Dingwall, widely believed to be the only Wimpy open during regular hours in Scotland.
Thistle go into a do or die game with Ross County knowing that only a win will give the side a realistic chance at clinching a top six berth. It’s a match all at Firhill are firmly focussed on and ptfc.co.uk caught up with manager Alan Archibald shortly before the team bus departed for the highlands.
“At the start of the week we asked the players to give us a chance of winning a top six slot in Dingwall and they have done that. We know that it isn’t entirely in our hands but we need a win to give us the best possible chance of being in one of the six slots.
“We don’t want to come off the pitch with any regrets about not having won the game against County and that we weren’t able to take advantage of other teams slipping up.”
Thistle’s recent games with County have been tight clashes with only one goal separating the sides in each of the last three games.
“We’ve been evenly matched with County this season with both teams winning a game each 1-0. County are an open side who attack and we’ll have to be on our guard against them. They have a number of quality attackers who can pose problems to any side in the league.
“We’re going to go up with a gameplan and we’ll implement it as we try to get three points. Both teams know that a draw won’t be enough for top six so it’s bound to be an entertaining end to end game.”
Mathias Pogba and Callum Booth were the latest to extend their Firhill stay and the gaffer is delighted to have both players on board for next season.
“Callum has been exceptional for me. He hasn’t missed a game in a calendar year and he’s played every minute of this season with a number of strong consistent performances for us. He’s a great age and will continue to improve with games.
“Mathias is a very unselfish player. He holds the ball up well and brings others into play with lots of great play outside the box. We’d love him to be a little bit more selfish and get himself into the box more often to finish off the chances. I think we’ll see the best of him next season when he has a full pre-season under his belt.”
Finally the gaffer brought us up to date with all team news.
“Gary Fraser and Frederic Frans, both of whom were substituted on Tuesday night, are major doubts for the game. Freddie trained today so we’re hopeful that he’ll be fit enough to play. Liam Lindsay will return to the squad for the game after recovering from his hamstring injury.”
Everyone of a red and yellow persuasion was absolutely gutted come full time in Dingwall, as a 1-0 defeat at the hands of a resilient County side dashed the Jags’ hopes of making the top six. Thistle boss, Alan Archibald, was clearly as devastated as those 550 travelling supporters when he spoke to ptfc.co.uk after the game.
Alan said: “It was in our own hands today which is exactly the position we asked the players to put us in at the beginning of the week. We had a real chance today and we never took it which is obviously incredibly frustrating and disappointing.
“I really feel for the fans who travelled in good numbers to back us today and I only wish we could have sent them back down the road with a smile on their faces.”
It was an Alex Schalk strike in the first half that separated the two sides and, despite huge spells of Thistle pressure, the vital equaliser never materialised.
“It was a disappointing goal to lose from our position. It came from our own goal kick and it was all of our own doing. The lad got way too much time on the edge of our box and it was a goal we really shouldn’t have conceded – ultimately that was what cost us.
“We threw everything at it today, I think we had seven attacking players on the park by the end, but we just couldn’t cut them open. In truth we created very few clear cut chances and never really hurt them in the way we know we can. The first goal is always important against County and, as soon as they got it, we knew it was going to be a really tough task.”
Although top six is now an impossibility, Archibald is clear that there is still plenty to fight for in the dying stages of the season.
“We want to show progression from last season and that now means finishing seventh. We’ve fought hard all season so it would be awful to come away having finished in a lower position than last year. We need to get over this blow and get ready for the post-split fixtures – our aim will be to take as many points as we possibly can and give the fans something to cheer in the last few weeks of the season.
“The players gave absolutely everything today and you certainly can’t fault their effort. If we show that fight in the closing weeks of the season I have no doubt we will finish higher than we did last term.”
Everyone of a red and yellow persuasion was absolutely gutted come full time in Dingwall, as a 1-0 defeat at the hands of a resilient County side dashed the Jags’ hopes of making the top six. Thistle boss, Alan Archibald, was clearly as devastated as those 550 travelling supporters when he spoke to ptfc.co.uk after the game.
Alan said: “It was in our own hands today which is exactly the position we asked the players to put us in at the beginning of the week. We had a real chance today and we never took it which is obviously incredibly frustrating and disappointing.
“I really feel for the fans who travelled in good numbers to back us today and I only wish we could have sent them back down the road with a smile on their faces.”
It was an Alex Schalk strike in the first half that separated the two sides and, despite huge spells of Thistle pressure, the vital equaliser never materialised.
“It was a disappointing goal to lose from our position. It came from our own goal kick and it was all of our own doing. The lad got way too much time on the edge of our box and it was a goal we really shouldn’t have conceded – ultimately that was what cost us.
“We threw everything at it today, I think we had seven attacking players on the park by the end, but we just couldn’t cut them open. In truth we created very few clear cut chances and never really hurt them in the way we know we can. The first goal is always important against County and, as soon as they got it, we knew it was going to be a really tough task.”
Although top six is now an impossibility, Archibald is clear that there is still plenty to fight for in the dying stages of the season.
“We want to show progression from last season and that now means finishing seventh. We’ve fought hard all season so it would be awful to come away having finished in a lower position than last year. We need to get over this blow and get ready for the post-split fixtures – our aim will be to take as many points as we possibly can and give the fans something to cheer in the last few weeks of the season.
“The players gave absolutely everything today and you certainly can’t fault their effort. If we show that fight in the closing weeks of the season I have no doubt we will finish higher than we did last term.”
