The Thistle Archive

Media report

Rodney Marsh the £200,000 star who emerges even more enigmatically than Manchester City themselves, provided the typically spectacular answer to sudden speculation about his future role here tonight. Struggling for form in City’s previous two matches in Sweden’s July Cup, Marsh stepped in as a second half substitute to finish off brave, young Partick Thistle in the final of this seven club tournament. Marsh, whose poor showings against Hull City and Swedish club Hammarby forced manager Malcolm Allison to drop him, came on as second half substitute for Mike Summerbee. And he sealed Thistle’s fate while guaranteeing City their fist trophy in two years.

Marsh’s first job was to force Thistle defender Bobby Clark into conceding a dubious 52nd minute penalty from which Francis Lee scored on the rebound from ‘keeper Alan Rough. That made it 3-0, and with the delicate, skillful Scottish machinery already slowing down after first half goals from Colin Bell and Wyn Davies, City became complete masters. It was Marsh who was responsible for the second penalty which Partick substitute Brian Ralston conceded in 77 minutes, and from which Alan Oakes (substituting for Mike Doyle) scored. And it was Marsh again nine minutes from the end climbing high above the Thistle defence to head a Tony Book free kick past Rough.

In the end it was easy, but for 25 minutes Dave McParland’s neat and promising team had City in a temporary state of unease. As Anglo-Scottish temperaments clashed, five names went into referee Ronnie Ericsson’s notebook. Mike Summerbee was booked for the second time in the competition for dissent, and Lee and Davies and Thistle’s Alec Rae and Hugh Strachan all had their names taken. Lee and Rae were lucky not to go off after a tumble that turned into a wrestling match with other players from both sides joining in. But it was an uncharacteristic flare-up in a mainly good-humoured game.

It was competitive yet rarely really viscious, and the Swedish fans settled happily for the contrast of Scottish ball-play and the more efficient experienced and organised English style. For Allison, there must have been a great deal of quiet satisfaction. Veteran right back and club skipper Tony Book looked sharp enough to stay at least another season. Young Derek Jeffries was both resourceful and responsible. Lee provided more than the required evidence of his complete recovery after his close-season spell in hospital with physical and mental exhaustion, even though he tailed off in the last 15 minutes with a slight thigh strain. And Davies displayed an aggression that demanded his inclusion. That in turn could be the stimulus for the some times magnificent Marsh to provide a consistency which Allison must have from him.

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