Monday 25th July, 2022 at 10:16am
Thistle’s pre-season build up continued with the visit of Kilmarnock to Petershill Park. Our last pre-season outing at Petershill against East Fife was played on a baking hot sunny afternoon. Although muggy the overhead conditions for this game could scarcely have been more contrasting and it wasn’t just in the weather where contrast could be found. Against East Fife, Thistle strolled to an 8-0 success and although Thistle won this game, and deservedly so, they were tested more severely by a Killie side that on this showing look good candidates for promotion from SWPL2.
It was the visitors that had the first effort on goal after 8 minutes play though Thistle’s trialist keeper wasn’t overly stretched in keeping out a shot from outside the box with the trialist keeper making another confident looking stop from another long-range effort just a few minutes later.
It was taking Thistle a little time to get into their stride although a well worked free kick and an ensuing scramble inside the Killie box nearly brought Thistle some reward.
They, did, however take the lead just before the 20-minute mark and did so in some style.
Dionne Brown’s excellent first touch created space for her to have a shot from fully 30 yards out and that shot left the goalkeeper without an earthly chance of preventing Thistle from taking the lead. A truly stunning goal.
One of the two outfield trialists in the Thistle starting eleven saw an effort from the left-hand corner of the box drift away from goal as Thistle looked to press home the advantage that Brown’s goal had given them.
It was Kilmarnock though that came closest to scoring prior to the half-time whistle. A snapshot from the edge of the Thistle box was comfortably saved but a Middleton free kick with half-time just three minutes away came off the top of the Thistle crossbar.
Thistle and Dionne Brown were close to a second goal 10 minutes after the restart but Brown’s shot following a cross from the right from Rachel Donaldson cleared the Kilmarnock crossbar.
Thistle were well on top at this stage and in next to no time a further opportunity came their way after a slick passing move but Kaitlyn Canavan saw her shot saved by the outstretched foot of the Kilmarnock goalkeeper.
Just after the hour mark Kilmarnock really should have been back on level terms when a cross from the right picked out a Killie player directly in front of Lauren Grant’s, one of eight substitutes introduced during the course of the second half, but she could do little more than stab the ball directly to a grateful Grant.
Jordan McLintock sent a couple of efforts over the Kilmarnock crossbar but as the 90-minute mark approached it looked as if Brown’s spectacular effort would prove to be the game’s only goal but Thistle did conjure up a second goal before the finish. Beth McKay’s low cross from the left found Rosie Slater at the back post and she confidently lifted the ball high into the back of the Kilmarnock net.
