Saturday 29th December, 2018 at 7:06pm
A pair of incisive Morton counter attacks condemned Partick Thistle to a defeat which leaves them in ninth place going into 2019. Scott Tiffoney opened the scoring for the Ton after eight minutes with the visitors holding their lead as they entered the break. The Jags were able to draw level, however, as Craig Slater bent home a sublime effort from 20 yards but despite a barrage on the Morton goal, it was the Greenock side who grabbed the winner through Charlie Telfer with ten minutes to play. Thistle gaffer, Gary Caldwell, spoke to ptfc.co.uk following the final whistle:
“It was a waste of a first half for us. We didn’t play anywhere near what we can and conceded a ridiculous goal. Our play was naïve at times and slow right through the first 45 so I told the players what I thought at half time and got a good reaction.
“I thought we were excellent in spells during that second half but in the end we concede another stupid goal and gift them a win that they didn’t deserve. We were the better team over the 90, especially in the second half and should never have lost.”
At half time, Caldwell brought on Chris Erskine and changed the team’s formation leading to an improved performance but Gary felt that the better showing in the second 45 was more down to the players than the tactics.
“I don’t think it has as much to do with the shape. The difference wasn’t the formation we played, it was the desire and effort that the players put in. In the first half we were lethargic and that got better after half time. The players’ attitudes were better in the second half and that’s what lead to the improvement.”
With Thistle now five points behind Alloa in the league standings, the gaffer is keen to get business done quickly in January to help the team climb the table in the coming weeks.
“It’s my responsibility to get us out of the position we’re in and a big part of that is the transfer window. I want players who are up for the fight and can change the mentality that has hurt the team so far this season.
“We have a nucleus of players who have the right mindset and are good enough but we need to add more players with quality and the right attitude so we can win more games of football.”
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Article Copyright © 2018. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
