Friday 31st December, 2021 at 5:58pm
As 2021 draws to a close, we asked first team players to pick their personal Thistle highlight from a unique and unforgettable year. Here’s what they said:
Jamie Sneddon: It would have to be the celebration when the 5th goal went in against Falkirk. That was the moment we all knew we had won the league and could really enjoy it together. It was such an important moment for myself and the club.
Ciaran McKenna: My 2021 Thistle highlight is the game away against Dumbarton where we scored 2 late second half goals to win the game. It was a horrible game to play in but after getting the win and realising Cove and Falkirk had dropped points, it meant we were top of the league and it was in our hands going into the split and the rest is history.
Kevin Holt: My best Thistle highlight of 2021 is definitely the last minute winner against Raith Rovers a few weeks back. The feeling after that game I believe will really drive us to where we want and expect the club to get to this year.
Richard Foster: Falkirk game. From the moment we scored the first goal I knew we’d go on and win. Then with every subsequent goal the feeling grew stronger and I could relax and really enjoy the feeling of knowing we were getting promoted. Overturning an 8 point advantage. One of the nights of my career.
Lewis Mayo: 1-0 at home to Hamilton … scoring my first career goal to win the game and the defenders setting a clean sheet record, all after waiting for a PCR result that morning to see if I could play or not!
Darren Brownlie: My highlight of 2021, has got to be the Falkirk game – winning 5-0 to win the league. Everyone knew how important the game was for everyone associated with the club, and for all the boys to go out and perform the way we did was brilliant. Great night!
Tunji Akinola: Big game against Raith Rovers in which we really needed 3 points, they had gone down to 10 men but we’re struggling to score then nick a winner in the last seconds…scenes!!
Steven Bell: The celebrations the team had the night we won the league, to see the fans outside in the street made me realise how big an achievement this was for the club as a whole after the unfair relegation the previous season.
Stuart Bannigan: The 2021 Thistle highlight for me was winning the league and seeing the fans reactions outside and up at the canal. Amazing to see us as a club come together after the adversity we’d faced the season before.
Mouhamed Niang (on loan at Alloa Athletic): It has to be the flick I scored for Alloa in the Scottish Cup, because it was the best goal I’ve ever scored in my career so far so it was a nice moment.
Ross Docherty: Brian Graham’s first goal v Falkirk (that game). This goal sticks in my mind as it pretty much sealed the title. We’d scored a couple before but when big Bri hit the net I just knew that was it. Defensively we were absolutely solid at the time and I just remember thinking, that’s it over! Getting straight back up was huge for so many reasons at the club with a lot of pressure for so long in the season. I remember being able to relax a bit… after we’d celebrated that goal of course.
Shea Gordon: Best moment for me was when we scored the 5th goal against Falkirk and everyone was in the corner celebrating and we all just knew we had won the league and achieved our goal of getting back into the Championship.
Scott Tiffoney: East Fife 2-2 – if we lost that day everything would be probably be different today.
Connor Murray: Highlight of 2021 has got to be winning the league! No contest, the run the boys went on at the end of the season to win it made it even better!
Cammy Smith: I think the moment most fans will remember is when I sent Tommy Taylor flying off his chair at Firhill. But for me it was returning to Scotland settling back into a great changing room. We’re doing well at the moment and the spirit around the place is brilliant. We want to keep that going for as long as possible into 2022.
Kyle Turner: For me I have two. I think the save from Jamie Sneddon against Kilmarnock in the last minute to win 1-0 at Rugby Park was brilliant, the fans that day as well were in full voice and it was a great day. Also two weeks ago when I scored the winner against Raith Rovers there is no better feeling than scoring the winning goal with the last kick off the ball. Everyone after the game was buzzing and the fans were brilliant after the game too.
Ross MacIver: Oooft, that’s a tough one … for me personally it was the game at Dumbarton when I came on at half-time and scored my first goal for the club but winning the league and seen how much it meant to everyone surrounding the club probably tops it.
Zak Rudden: Scoring the opener at Dumbarton after I’d been robbed of one by the linesman when it had crossed the line. We went top of the league that night and that run of games up to the Falkirk game was one of the best times I’ve ever had on the pitch.
Brian Graham: I treasure absolutely every goal in red and yellow but scoring twice on the night we won the league is impossible to top and the celebrations afterwards with the fans will live forever. And I quite like that song too! Happy New Year when it comes, Jags fans.
