Wednesday 26th December, 2012 at 9:15pm
The waiting is nearly over. Not for Christmas Day but the bigger event at Firhill the following day; Partick Thistle v Morton.
The Boxing Day fixture against the side that currently sit in third position in the First Division is unquestionably a vitally important one but as manager Jackie McNamara explained to [link:HOME] we are now entering a potentially pivotal stage of the season.
“This period is a crucial stage of the season, it always has been. Results over this period can shape your season for you. Our match with Morton is vitally important game for both teams but with a two point lead at the top of the table, and with a game in hand, we want if possible to extend that lead over the next few games.”
The manager though won’t have a full squad to select from; at least not for the Morton match.
“For some reason we seem to have picked up a few ankle injuries of late. Stephen O’Donnell is still struggling with his ankle injury. He’s done a bit of running but he’s still feeling the injury and he is doubtful for the Morton game. There would need to be a significant improvement over the next couple of days to allow him to play. Mark McGuigan too has picked up an ankle injury and he also is a doubt for Wednesday’s game.”
Jackie continued;
“Sean Welsh is still out injured but he’s joined us for a bit of training and it’s good to see him back and good to see him kicking the ball again. It’s now a case of pain management for him. Bruising of the bone can be a frustrating injury as I’ve discovered myself. You think you are okay and then you feel a bit of pain again. Sean though is getting there and it shouldn’t be too much longer before he is back which will be a real boost for us.”
Goalkeeper Scott Fox too is on the way back.
“Scott is back training with is and is looking really good. This is the first week in which he has really done much kicking and he is ready to come back into the squad.”
“I’d love to have a full squad available for this game but I know that we still have the players good enough to win this game.”
A game on Boxing Day does, of course, mean a Christmas Day training session but as Jackie says that’s just part and parcel of being involved in football.
“Although it will be Christmas Day it will just been the normal kind of training session that we would do before any game. Obviously everyone wants to spend as much of Christmas Day as possible with their families but it’s important that we prepare properly for the game on Boxing day.”
Partick Thistle Stats
Current Form – Last Five Games
W D L F A
3 0 2 10 5
Scorers Season 2012-2013
Steven Lawless 10
Chris Erskine 8
Kris Doolan 7
Steven Craig 6
Stuart Bannigan 4
Ross Forbes 3
Aaron Muirhead 2
Aaron Sinclair 2
Sean Welsh 2
Conrad Balatoni 1
Christie Elliott 1
Stephen O’Donnell 1
Own Goal 1
Last Game
Irn-Bru Scottish League First Division
Saturday December 15th 2012
Partick Thistle 3, Raith Rovers 2
Morton Stats
Current Form – Last Five Games
W D L F A
3 2 0 13 4
Scorers Season 2012-2013
Archie Campbell 11
Peter Weatherson 11
David O’Brien 6
Michael Tidser 6
Martin Hardie 5
Tony Wallace 3
David Graham 2
Mark McLaughlin 2
Kevin Rutkiewicz 2
Stephen Stirling 2
Lewis Hawke 1
Peter MacDonald 1
Last Game
William Hill Scottish Cup Fourth Round Replay
Monday December 17th 2012
Morton 6, Turriff United 0
Last Meeting
Irn-Bru Scottish League First Division
Saturday October 6th 2012
Morton 3, Partick Thistle 1
Teams
Morton: Gaston, Reid, Dyer, Bachirou, Rutkiewicz, McLaughlin (Naismith), Stirling (Graham), Tidser, Weatherson (Hardie), Campbell, O’Brien.
Thistle: Fox, O’Donnell, Bannigan, Paton, Muirhead, Archibald, Lawless (Doolan), Welsh (Slane), Craig, Murray, Erskine (Sinclair).
Scorers
Morton: Rutkiewicz (14), McLaughlin (39), O’Brien (86)
Thistle: Craig (20)
Crowd: 3,445
Match Highlights
Match Details
Irn-Bru Scottish League First Division
Wednesday December 26th 2012
Partick Thistle v Morton
Kick-off: 3:00pm
Come Home to Firhilll
Prices
Adults: £17
OAP (65+): £12
16-21: £12
Full Time Education: £12
Programme £2.50
Match Officials
Referee: Bobby Madden
Assistant Referees: James Bee and Derek Crothers
Other First Division Fixtures
Dunfermline Athletic v Falkirk
Hamilton Accies v Airdrie United
