Monday 9th January, 2023 at 1:48pm
After the short winter break Thistle returned to action with a Scottish Cup tie against SWPL2 side Queen’s Park hoping for another extended run in the competition, Thistle reaching the last four of last season’s tournament.
On a miserable night at New Tinto Park, Thistle duly negotiated their first Scottish Cup hurdle of this season securing a place in the next round with a comfortable enough win over their lower league opponents but not one secured without encountering a few bumps along the way. Not least an injury in the warm up preventing Khym Ramsay from taking up her position in the Thistle goal. With Megan Cunningham unavailable that meant a late call-up as Thistle’s last line of defence for Danica Dalziel.
For much of the early stages of the game Dalziel was mostly a spectator as Thistle took the game to Queen’s in search of the opening goal. Abbie Ferguson was causing the home defence all kinds of problems and she was desperately unlucky not to net that important first goal when after collecting a long ball forward from Demi Falconer she weaved her way past a few challenges only to see her final shot strike the post.
She wasn’t to be denied for long though as Thistle took a 15th minute lead with the goal that they had been threatening right from the off. The build-up started deep inside the Thistle half with Leah Robinson finding Cara Henderson. Henderson in turn pushed the ball back to Rebecca McGowan who was able to find Linzi Taylor on the right hand side. Taylor’s cross was deftly controlled by Ferguson who then expertly tucked the ball past Gibney in the Queen’s Park goal.
Thistle’s domination continued but a second goal didn’t arrive until the 38th minute when Henderson, who had earlier missed a good chance to extend the Thistle lead only to be denied by Gibney, lifted a Clare Docherty cross high into the net.
Queen’s though were able to reduce the deficit with almost indecent haste when Callaghan inside the Thistle 6 yard box was able to slot home a headed pass.
The goals were coming at a fair rate at this point and almost right on the resumption after conceding Thistle restored their two goal advantage. Henderson’s free kick came off the crossbar and Robinson, starting her first game as Thistle player, controlled the ball with her chest before steering it low into the back of the net.
Thistle’s dominance continued after the break but found it difficult to extend their lead further and there was the odd moment when Queen’s threatened to find an unlikely and undeserved route back into the match. Dalziel made a comfortable save from Fulton before, with 6 minutes remaining, Kane knocked the ball home from close range.
Any thoughts that Thistle would face a nervy conclusion to the match were almost immediately banished and banished in spectacular fashion. After McGowan won the ball inside the Queen’s half it was picked up by Rachel Donaldson who curled a beautiful shot well beyond the reach of Gibney and into the back of the net.
There was still time for a fifth Thistle goal before the finish. Donaldson’s corner was touched back into Robinson’s path by an alert Falconer and Robinson completed a memorable night for herself when after controlling the ball with her left foot found the net with a controlled shot with her right.
