Wed 7 February, 2024
SWPL 1 
Ainslie Park, Edinburgh
Boyce (57)
SWPL 1
Wed 7 February, 2024. Kick Off: - 19:45
Ainslie Park, Edinburgh
🎫 Tickets
Tickets are available online from Spartans to you can pay at the gate by cash or card.
Adults: £8
Concessions: £4
U16s: Free
Click HERE to purchase your ticket
🚗 Getting There
Ainslie Park, Pilton Dr, Edinburgh EH5 2HF
📺 Live Stream
As this is an away Fixture there will be no PTWFC live steam of this match.
💻 Live Coverage
Live updates will be available on our Twitter account during the match.
🗣️ Post -Match
After the match we’ll have all the reaction from the Thistle camp on our Twitter and Facebook pages with Full match highlights and interviews on our YouTube Channel.
We’ll also have a full match photo gallery available after the game.
This Wednesday 7th February, PTWFC take on Spartans in an SWPL match at Ainslie Park in a 19:45 kickoff.
Having progressed to the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup on Sunday with a win in a Glasgow derby against Queen’s Park, it’s a return to league action for the Jags as we look to keep this winning streak up.
📍Ainslie Park
🕐Wednesday 7th February 2024 7:45pm
🎟️ £8 / £5 Pay at Gate by cash or card
🆓 Kids go FREE
📺 No PTW Stream
💻Updates on Twitter
💻️Highlights and reaction post match
Spartans have had a poor season by their standards, sitting 11th in the table with 9 points, 3 clear of Hamilton at the bottom of the league. That being said, a 2-1 victory over a strong Aberdeen side in the cup could spark some life into the Edinburgh side as they host a on form Jags side.
Spartans have recently got a new manager at the helm following the departure of SWPL legend Debbi McCulloch, who stepped down following 13 years in charge in the capital. Her replacement, Jack Beesley, is no stranger to Spartans as he made over 200 appearances for their men’s side and is considered a cult hero.
Spartans do have some talented players in their squad such as Mya Bates and Calley Gibb who offer pace and danger on the wings while Becky Galbraith possesses a goalscoring threat upfront having scored the goal that sent them into the next round of the cup.
Our previous league encounter saw Spartans shock the girls at Petershill Park as they came away 1-0 winners in a cold and wet night. They haven’t won a league fixture since then and less than a month later in cup action, Spartans revisited Petershill and lost 2-0 in a better showing for Brian Graham’s side.
A change of pace for Thistle as a chance encounter in the cup with lower league opposition allowed the opportunity to gain a third win in three different competitions in as many weeks. A much changed Thistle side from the one that beat Montrose in the league a week earlier gave the opportunity for some players to get a chance in the starting 11, with 8 changes overall.
The SWPL2 leaders were not ones to lay down to the Jags as they gave a good game from the start. However Rosie McQuillan emulated her namesake and scored a cracking goal to give the Jags the lead 4 minutes in. Not backing down, Ellie Kane does what Ellie Kane has been doing all season and brought the game to a level playing field once more.
The Jags would continue to push on and on the brink of halftime new signing Carla Boyce grabbed her first goal in red and yellow as she tucked the ball in the back of the net. A fantastic first half was only followed with another great performance in the second as Cara Henderson grabbed her 10th of the season from the bench and secured victory for Brian Graham’s side, progressing to the quarter-finals and setting up a match against Hearts in a month’s time.
Strong Followings from the Red and Yellow army have helped our girls in recent times and we’d love to see as many of you make the midweek trip to the capital as we face Spartans.
A full squad is available for Brian Graham for this midweek fixture as new signing Aimee Anderson is back in contention having been cup tied for the Scottish Cup match therefore could make her full debut.
With this midweek trip to the capital approaching, it will be up to Brian Graham and the rest of the management team to field their best possible side heading into this fixture.
1st October 2023
PARTICK THISTLE 2
(Henderson, 45′) (Taylor, 54′)
SPARTANS 0
Having secured a place in the last eight of the Scottish Cup at the weekend, the Sky Sports Cup Finalists returned to league action with a trip through to the capital to face Spartans, a side that many are surprised to see struggle near the bottom of SWPL1.
Thistle’s two previous visits to Ainslie Park had both ended in goalless draws, and Spartans had left Petershill Park earlier in the season with full points. As a consequence there was nobody, no matter how good Thistle’s form was going into this game, taking it for granted that Thistle would extend their winning run to a sixth successive win.
They did, ultimately, manage to do precisely that but for long spells it looked as if the goal that Thistle’s dominance merited was never going to come.
The opening 45 minutes of a game played on a bitterly cold night were spent almost exclusively in the Spartans half, but Thistle for all that just couldn’t find the breakthrough.
Carla Boyce, starting her second Thistle game, was a constant menace to the Spartans defence and had the most presentable of Thistle’s first half chances but saw her effort clear the crossbar. Cara Henderson saw a net bound shot blocked by a Spartans defender and Demi Falconer and Lucy Sinclair both had efforts that came close.
Even Rosie Slater, who has been the scorer of some spectacular goals this season, couldn’t hit target with a long range effort after the ball sat up nicely for her.
Despite dominating proceedings there is always a danger of being caught by a sucker punch and Thistle had Ava Easdon to thank for keeping the score at 0-0 when she denied Birse who had collected a ball over the top of the Thistle defence before powering a shot towards the Thistle goal. It was a save that underlined just why Ava, and teammate Jenna Ferguson, have been selected for the Scotland under 19 squad.
The second half followed a similar patter to that of the first with Thistle in the ascendancy but unable to find the touch required in front of goal to turn that ascendancy into goals.
Frustration was just starting to mount when Thistle, finally, made the breakthrough with 57 minutes on the clock.
An Amy Bulloch free kick from wide on the left found the head of Carla Boyce and her header gave her her second goal in two starts for Thistle, and for Bulloch her eighth assist of a highly productive season for the midfielder.
Now in front Thistle searched for the second goal that would have provided them with some breathing space, but it just wouldn’t come.
There was some late Spartans pressure, and six minutes of injury time, to contend with before the win was confirmed, but in truth the Thistle rear guard were never seriously troubled.
