6th Apr 2002 Airdrieonians 1 Partick Thistle 1 (SFL First Division - game 33)

matches:2001-02: ← 48game 4950 →

	former Jag / future man. Ian McCall	John Lambie	61y, 1m, 4d

		Gerry Britton
		Scott McLean

Owen Coyle (0-1, 60 mins)		Alex Burns (1-1, 81 mins)
Allan McManus

Mark Roberts (Lee Gardner, 86 mins)		Paddy Kelly (Mark McCulloch, 56 mins); Martin Hardie (Stephen McAnespie, 68 mins); Gerry Britton (Paul Walker, 80 mins)

	Allan Ferguson	Kevin Budinauckas	27y, 6m, 21d
	Kevin James	Paddy Kelly	23y, 11m, 11d
	Tony Smith	Alan Archibald	24y, 3m, 24d
	Allan McManus	Stephen Craigan	25y, 5m, 8d
	Craig McPherson	Scott Paterson	29y, 10m, 24d
	Paul Armstrong	Paul Deas	30y, 1m, 15d
	future Jag Stuart Taylor	Martin Cameron	23y, 9m, 21d
	former Jag Stephen Docherty	Danny Lennon	33y, 0m, 0d
	Jerome Vareille	Gerry Britton	31y, 5m, 17d
	Owen Coyle	Martin Hardie	25y, 11m, 15d
	future Jag Mark Roberts	Alex Burns	28y, 8m, 2d

			27y, 7m, 25d

	future Jag Neil Bennett	Kenny Arthur	23y, 3m, 30d
	Lee Gardner	Mark McCulloch	26y, 10m, 18d
	Stuart MacDonald	Paul Walker	24y, 7m, 17d
		Stephen McAnespie	30y, 2m, 5d
		Derek Fleming	28y, 4m, 1d

notes

Airdrie filled only 3 of their 5 allocated bench slots.

TTA report

2nd v 1st. After a scrappy first half O Coyle gave Airdrie the lead (bundled in a flick-on, 60) but Burns swept in a Cameron knock down from a long throw-in to level (81). Celebrations were merely postponed. No wins away to Airdrie in 24 attempts showed how hard opponents they proved to be. “Diamonds hard to cut” (GH).

Media report

08-Apr-2002, Daily Record

JAGS WON'T WORRY JUST YET - THEY'VE GOT TO PARTY FIRST. THEY say the best things in life are worth waiting for. If so, life in the SPL is going to be very, very good for Partick Thistle's fans. Their team is keeping them on tenterhooks as they stagger to the finishing line like a marathon runner whose legs are working from memory.

More than 4000 Thistle fans travelled to Airdrie on Saturday praying for a party. They ended up praying merely for an equaliser and Alex Burns provided one nine minutes from the end. The strike was the most vital of his career. Had his 15-yard shot crept the other side of the post, Airdrie would be sitting four points behind the Jags with three games left. But Burns' drive, which cancelled out Owen Coyle's 59th minute poke home from a Mark Roberts corner, main-tained their seven-point lead.

Partick need one more win and will try to put the whole thing to bed at Love Street next week. Then their fans will party. Roger Mitchell might not have put it too diplomatically but his belief that Thistle will face a struggle in the SPL was obvious on Saturday. They need strengthened in every department but don't have cash to do a Livingston. They'll go into the season without the £750,000 Livi had from this term's TV deal - and must find another £250,000 to support the SPL TV station if it gets the go-ahead today. That's them £1m down before a ball is kicked but those worries are for another day. Right now they just want out of this division. Airdrie believe they'd be out of it already if they'd been playing on an even pitch.

On Saturday, manager Ian McCall could name only two outfield substitutes because of injuries and the inability to go out and buy a replacement. All season, they've operated on a shoestring and at 4.45pm on the last day of the season - April 27 - that will be cut as well when everyone's contract expires. Striker Coyle said: “The players and management have been nothing short of professional but some of things thrown at us this season have been unprofessional. We finish on April 27 - all our contracts are up at 4.45pm that day. It will be interesting to see what happens if the game goes to injury time…” They'll see it out, of course, but whether Airdrie's fans see their team play again remains to be seen. Partick's will but unless they can find cash from somewhere, they might be watching their favourites through splayed fingers for most of the season.

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