10th Apr 2021 Peterhead 0 Partick Thistle 3 (SPFL League One - game 15)

matches:2020-21: ← 25game 2627 →

	Jim McInally	Ian McCall	56y, 6m, 11d

		Ciaran McKenna; Steven Bell; Joe Cardle
		Ryan Williamson; Mouhamed Niang; Shea Gordon

		Joe Cardle (1-0, 39 mins); Scott Tiffoney (2-0, 52 mins); Brian Graham (3-0, 60 mins)
		Connor Murray (1-0, 39 mins); Joe Cardle (2-0, 52 mins); Joe Cardle (3-0, 60 mins)
Derryn Kesson		James Penrice

Ryan Conroy (Kyle Bailey, 42 mins); Niah Payne (Derek Lyle, 66 mins); Jordon Brown (Ben Armour, 66 mins); Steven Boyd (Derryn Kesson, 72 mins)		Brian Graham (Ross MacIver, 65 mins); Ross Docherty (James Penrice, 71 mins); Scott Tiffoney (Andy Geggan, 71 mins); Joe Cardle (Blair Lyons, 80 mins); Connor Murray (Zak Rudden, 80 mins)

	Josh Rae	Jamie Sneddon	23y, 7m, 4d
	Kieran Freeman	Ciaran McKenna	23y, 0m, 16d
	Ryan Conroy	Richard Foster	35y, 8m, 10d
	Jason Brown	Darren Brownlie	27y, 0m, 0d
	Andy McDonald	Steven Bell	36y, 1m, 17d
	Simon Ferry	Stuart Bannigan	28y, 6m, 24d
	Scott Brown	Ross Docherty	28y, 2m, 18d
	Hamish Ritchie	Joe Cardle	34y, 2m, 3d
	Jordon Brown	Brian Graham	33y, 4m, 18d
	Niah Payne	Scott Tiffoney	22y, 7m, 15d
	Steven Boyd	Connor Murray	23y, 11m, 17d

			28y, 9m, 3d

	Lenny Wilson	Mason McCready	18y, 1m, 5d
	Ben Armour	Ryan Williamson	25y, 0m, 27d
	Derryn Kesson	James Penrice	22y, 3m, 19d
	Danny Strachan	Zak Rudden	21y, 2m, 4d
	Kieran McGrath	Blair Lyons	24y, 6m, 18d
	Kyle Bailey	Shea Gordon	22y, 10m, 25d
	former Jag Derek Lyle	Mouhamed Niang	21y, 6m, 2d
		Ross MacIver	22y, 1m, 13d
		Andy Geggan	33y, 11m, 2d

notes

Both sides generally in playing order.
Peterhead filled 7 of their 9 allocated bench slots.
Originally scheduled for Saturday, 20th February, 2021, the SPFL League One being suspended for nearly 10 weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Played closed-doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

TTA report

Neither team took much credit in a poor first half until Cardle finished off a Murray cross (39). Thistle had virtually all the play after half-time. Tiffoney' s header from a Cardle cross (52) and Graham's header off the post (misjudged by the keeper) (60) put Thistle well in control. They saw the game out comfortably and moved up to 3rd.

Media report

10-Apr-2021, peterheadfc.org

Peterhead went down 3-0 to visitors Partick Thistle with goals either side of half-time taking the game away from the hosts. Manager Jim McInally made two starting changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Forfar Athletic on Tuesday night with Jordon Brown coming in for the suspended Andrew McCarthy and Niah Payne replaced Ben Armour.

The Blue Toon started brightly and won the game’s first corner on 5 minutes however the visiting defence stood firm and the danger was cleared. Peterhead continued to press and looked set to take the lead on 13 minutes when Jordon Brown fired for goal however his effort took a deflection and whistled past a Thistle post. Ross Docherty was on the spot for the visitors to head the resultant corner away from goal. The game began to have a more balanced feel with Docherty bringing a save out of Joshua Rae in the home goal just before the half hour mark. Brian Graham sent a shot high over the home bar with Connor Murray denied by Rae as Thistle began to take charge and the Glasgow side grabbed the opener on 40 minutes. Murray sent a low cross into the home box and Joe Cardle turned the ball home however Peterhead responded well to that set-back with Scott Brown going close to an equaliser before the break with a 25 yard free-kick.

Manager McInally was forced into making his second substitution at half-time with Simon Ferry joining Ryan Conroy in picking up a knock with Kieran McGrath coming on at the break to join up with Kyle Bailey who was brought on just before the half-time whistle. A long clearance from Thistle goalkeeper Jamie Sneddon helped set up their second goal five minutes into the restart with Cardle released and his cross was perfect for Scott Tiffoney to tap in. Just before the hour mark Rae got his fingertips onto a header from Brian Graham to prevent Thistle going further ahead however from the resultant corner the striker scored when he nodded in. A stunned home side looked to get back into the game and Scott Brown went close with another free kick however the visitors saw the game out without too much threat on their goal with Zak Rudden going close to adding a fourth goal. The defeat leaves Peterhead in seventh place nine points ahead of bottom side Forfar and four in front of second bottom Dumbarton with Ian McCall’s side moving up to third.

Reaction

Partick Thistle manager Ian McCall (speaking to Jagzone):

I’m delighted with that performance and it’s exactly what we’ve been crying out for all season, to be honest. We were professional, we defended well and we killed the game off when we got the chance to which just made it comfortable for us later on. To get three different scorers was great as well. We’ve looked a much better attacking team recently and we continued that today but we were comfortable at the back for the majority of the game too. This was never going to be an easy game and you could see that with the way the game started. Balmoor is a tough place to come to but we did a really good job today and were deserved winners really.

4 GRIM YEARS LATER…

● Thistle field their oldest starting eleven (28y, 9m, 3d) in over 10 years. The oldest side prior to this (29y, 2m, 3d) took to the field (also under Ian McCall) in a 0-0 draw at Dingwall back in February, 2011.

● 27-year-old Darren Brownlie is the first Jag to play on his birthday since 28-year-old Steven Saunders did likewise at Greenock in March, 2019. And the scoreline that day? A 3-0 away win for Thistle!

● Shea Gordon misses out on his first competitive game of the season, ending his personal best run of 25-not-out, built-up over the last 14 months.

● In competitive action, Scott Tiffoney scores in a third consecutive game. He's now contributed to 7 goals in his 6 games as Jag, five times scorer and twice assistant.

● Brian Graham scores in a fourth consecutive League game.

● Joe Cardle registers in all three goals this afternoon, taking his combined goals/assists tally to 30 in 65 competitive games.

● Joe Cardle and Brian Graham now sit joint-top of the combined goals/assists table this season, with 11 apiece.

● In a massive about-turn from the goal-shy side from before the restart, Thistle have scored 2 or more in their last 4 League games.

● Remarkably, Jags go 6 unbeaten in the League for the first time since the "Top 6" season, 4 years ago.

● Thistle register their biggest competitive victory over Peterhead, over-riding the 4-2 Challenge Cup win in August, 2008.

● At the sixth time of asking, Thistle finally register a victory against Peterhead in a regular League match.

ongoing sequences:

● 6 League games without defeat, 26th Dec 2020 to date. (Longest run since: 8 games; 18th Feb 2017 to 8th Apr 2017. Club-record: 27 games; 21st Nov 1970 to 18th Sep 1971.)

● 6 away League games without defeat; 28th Nov 2020 to date. (Longest run since: 6 games; 16th Mar 2019 to 3rd Aug 2019. Club-record: 13 games; 5th Dec 1970 to 11th Sep 1971.)

● 51 consecutive competitive appearances for James Penrice, 7th Sep 2019 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Blair Spittal - 57 games, 31st Mar 2018 to 4th May 2019. Club-record: Johnny Jackson - 313 games, 28th Aug 1926 to 25th Mar 1933.)

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