Saturday 3rd September, 2022 at 6:09pm
Partick Thistle were looking for their fourth win on the spin in all competitions as they made the trip to Gayfield Park to take on Dick Campbell’s Arbroath.
The two teams had met during the week in the Premier Sports Cup when an Aidan Fitzpatrick goal won the game for the Jags as they progressed to the quarter-finals.
Now Thistle made the trip up to Angus for league action against the Lichties having only won once in their last 11 visits to Gayfield.
Ian McCall made three alterations to the starting line-up from the Tuesday night cup victory. Cole McKinnon returned to the first XI in place of Stuart Bannigan while Brian Graham came in for Anton Dowds. The final change was an enforced one with Aidan Fitzpatrick replacing the injured Scott Tiffoney.
It took the Maryhill men until the 82nd minute to find the opener in midweek but they almost had a breakthrough within two minutes in Arbroath. A Kyle Turner corner to the back post was met firmly by Kevin Holt but his effort was straight at Derek Gaston who gathered after blocking.
Then at the other end, Arbroath had their first sight of goal. A ball in by Mason Hancock from the left flank was met first-time by Bobby Linn but the Lichties legend fired his shot over the bar.
The game then settled into a less entertaining pattern with neither team finding it easy to break the other down. Thistle had pops at goal from range through Lawless and Muirhead but they didn’t truly trouble Derek Gaston though the former Morton ‘stopper had to be on his toes to deny Harry Milne’s shot from a 45 degree angle after Kevin Holt’s shot deflected into the left-back’s path.
Thistle finished the first half well on top but they weren’t finding the killer pass despite picking up countless threatening position. Things were a bit more promising at the start of the second period when Kyle Turner broke through into the Arbroath but saw his left-footed shot saved by the legs of Gaston.
Shortly after that, Arbroath were reduced to ten men as Scott Allan was dismissed for two quickfire yellow cards. The midfielder fouled Aidan Fitzpatrick on the Thistle left but play went on and when the ball came back into the centre of the park, the former Hibs man clattered Ross Docherty. The referee felt the two challenges merited a booking each and Allan was given his marching orders.
Thistle sent plenty forward in search of the winning goal and Ian McCall even sent on four substitutes to seek out a decider.
In the end it was one of those substitutes that found the winner as Anton Dowds netted his third goal of the season. A Ross Docherty shot thundered off the post and ricocheted back to the number 10 who coolly guided the rebound into the back of the net to give the Jags the lead against his former club.
A second quickly followed as Cole McKinnon bagged goal number two in Thistle colours. The midfielder picked up the ball just inside the box and slithered through a couple of challenges before firing a left-footed shot back across goal and into the far corner to wrap up the points.
WIth the win, Thistle remain a point off the top as they prepare to take on league leaders Ayr United next weekend. That one is a 3pm kick-off at Somerset Park.
