The Thistle Archive

Media report

06-Apr-2024, dafc.co.uk

Third placed Partick Thistle were the opposition for the first match in April. Both teams were hoping for a fourth consecutive league win and so there were expectations that this would be a hotly disputed contest. The air temperature as if in anticipation rocketed to an unseasonably high 15 degrees but that was accompanied by a strong wind. James McPake made two changes to his starting eleven with Miles Welch-Hayes coming in for Sam Fisher and Joe Chalmers taking over the midfield role vacated by the injured Chris Hamilton. Partick boss Kris Doolan made one change bringing back one time Pars loanee, Kerr McInroy and Ben Stanway dropping to the subs bench.

Dunfermline kicked off into the wind attacking the goal at the McCathie Stand end and Josh Edwards long throws were deployed from either side in the opening minutes. Partick keeper David Mitchell was first into action holding a Chalmers free kick after Aaron Muirhead had dumped Chris Kane 30 yards out on the right side. Kane Ritchie-Hosler had started really strongly and it was his run in eight minutes that led to Welch-Hayes threading an inviting ball across the six yard box that unfortunately no one could connect with. Within the same minute Alex Jakubiak teed up another cross from the right that Kane headed on target but into Mitchell’s arms. In 16th minute Thistle took advantage of a defensive slip up that let Brian Graham in on goal. His shot came off Deniz Mehmet to set up Aidan Fitzpatrick 18 yards out. The Thistle man blasted the ball low on target but Kyle Benedictus was nicely placed to block and Mehmet gathered the ball. Three minutes later a Graham shot looked like it was net bound as it pinged through players towards the left side of the Pars goal but Welch-Hayes managed to scoop the ball away. Another slip up led to Benedictus seeing a yellow card and McInroy given the opportunity for a pop at goal from a free kick 28 yards out. Happily for Dunfermline the 23 year old lifted his shot over the defensive wall and on to the roof of the net.

There were a couple of blocks as Thistle pressed in 24 minutes and with the Dunfermline defence unable to clear Brian GRAHAM stuck away his chance. 0-1. Having struggled initially the Jags really got their game going and stifled the home side’s efforts to get up the park. McBeth’s foul on the attacking Kane earned him a yellow card and Chalmers another attempt from a free kick 30 yards out in a central position. Unfortunately the Partick wall did its job. It did get the ball back into the visitors half. In front of the North West Ritchie-Hosler was shown yellow in 38 minutes when he and the crowd clearly felt a throw in decision went unjustly against him. Running on to a Matthew Todd pass Otoo earned a 41st minute corner down at a very windy left corner flag. Thistle survived as the cross passed through their box and out for goal kick that Mitchell not for the first time took all his time to take. The half finished with the Fifers pressing after McBeth’s tackle on Todd yielded another free kick this time on the left side just 20 yards out. Todd fired to the near post where the keeper cleared. Chalmers then latched on to the clearance but his shot was blocked.

There was a 47th minute chance for Thistle when Fitzpatrick flashed the ball across the goalmouth from the right but Graham failed to connect. Ritchie-Hosler tried to cut inside a fire at goal but his effort was blocked. Jakubiak forced a 55th minute corner on the left after an Otoo burst up the left channel. Fagan-Walcott and Welch-Hayes got their heads to Todd’s corner but Mitchell would hold comfortably. Owen Moffat was the first substitute to be used, replacing Chalmers in just the 12th minute of the second half. Lewis McCann followed seven minutes later taking over from Alex Jakubiak. Todd was then desperately as he evaded the offside trap to run on to Fagan-Walcott’s penetrating pass. Matty’s shot beat the keeper but was kept out by the left goalpost. Todd also had a chance presented to him in 72 minutes when Ritchie-Hosler hooked on a Mehmet clearance but his effort sailed over the bar.

An Edwards ball into the Partick box was skied by the defence but Mitchell beat Fagan-Walcott to the ball. It had been a sustained period of Pars pressure with nothing to show for it but an Edwards ball towards Kane in the box caused Muirhead to concede a 78th minute penalty. KANE took some time to get the ball to sit on the penalty spot before cooly smashing it past Mitchell. 1-1. The right post then kept out a McInroy shot and in 85th minute Fagan-Walcott blocked an on target effort from Graham. At the other end Ritchie-Hosler’s run set up Todd for a cross to the far post but Moffat’s shot failed to hit the target. Kane then came closer with an 88th minute shot that hit the left post. Dunfermline put Thistle under the cosh in the closing minutes. Fagan-Walcott swept a pass out to the left for Moffat and although he drew the keeper out his cross was blocked. In third minute of time added on Kane chested an Edwards pass goalwards but Mitchell held. The draw ended both sides winning runs. Dunfermline remain fifth on 42 points eight behind their opponents and three behind their next opponents, Airdrieonians who have played one game less.

Reaction

Partick Thistle manager Kris Doolan (speaking to Jagzone):

When I seen the conditions in the warm-up I thought it's going to be a tough day for anybody to play football, and it probably proved that way, but the fact that we had two cleared off the line in the first 20 minutes, we then scored and were on top, I felt as if across the balance we probably deserved to win the game. They had one real chance when they cut us open between the two centre-backs and they hit the post, other than that they didn't create too much, and we limited them to very little. The penalty kick I've just seen back is very, very soft, I don't know if there's any contact, and, even if there is it's very very slight. It just shows you there's fine margins, but anytime you come to East End Park you need to play well to get anything, and there's no bad points at this time of the season.

Dunfermline manager James McPake (speaking to dafc.co.uk):

I’m really proud of that group of players. First half we weren’t at the levels we would expect to be. We have got high expectations when the group is strong and the players probably agreed with that. We asked them to go out and just give everything in the second half. Regardless of the result we wanted to go out and perform better, we did that. I would need to watch the game back but I think we deserved all three points in the end after that second half performance and I’m bemoaning those posts again. I have stood here a couple of times this season saying I don’t like the posts out there at all, they are stopping us scoring so many goals. To show the character to come back into the game and get the point, the feeling is of pride in that group because again they came back from a bit of adversity off the back of a poor second half last week as well. They took a knock with the goal going in but then they came back and showed that they are a right good side.

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