The Thistle Archive

Media report

James Cairney, 13-May-2025, The Herald

Partick Thistle once again have it all to do in the second leg of the Premiership play-off semi-final after Livingston recorded a 2-0 victory at Firhill. Goals either side of the break from Stephen Kelly and Danny Wilson have handed the Lions a two-goal lead to defend in Friday’s return fixture in West Lothian. The Jags lost at home to Ayr United in the previous round before turning the tie on its head on the road, and the Glasgow club will require a similar display if they are to progress to the final. There were two changes to the Thistle starting XI: Dan O’Reilly returned to replace the injured Kyle Turner; and Ben Stanway dropped to the bench to make way for Logan Chalmers, who had missed the previous three games. Seventeen-year-old Jamie Low, who assisted the opening goal at Somerset Park on Friday night, retained his spot at left wing-back, while Kanayo Megwa was back in his usual berth on the opposite flank. David Martindale, meanwhile, stuck with the same starting line-up that lost 1-0 to the Jags at Almondvale on the final day of the regular Championship season. The two-legged win over Ayr – and the victories over Livi and Falkirk prior to that – was very much a case of all hands on deck for Thistle. The Maryhill club have not had their injury troubles to seek lately, and the bench once again looked light after two energy-sapping quarter-finals. On the one hand, they had momentum from Friday night’s drama in Ayrshire. On the other, the battling displays against Ayr had surely taken their toll. Livingston did not share that problem. Martindale’s men hadn’t played since that 1-0 loss to the same opposition 11 days prior. Perhaps it was no surprise, then, that the visitors harried after and relentlessly pressed their hosts from the get-go at a sun-drenched Firhill. In possession, they shifted the ball from side-to-side, shifting their opponents around in a bid to tire them out.

It was the Lions who had the first chance of the game with five minutes on the clock. A fine driving run from Stephen Kelly saw the ball worked to Cristian Montano, whose drilled shot at goal was closed down by David Mitchell. The Thistle keeper parried it back into the winger’s path, but his goal-bound second attempt was headed clear by O’Reilly. Twenty minutes passed with very little occurring. Megwa drove the length of half the pitch before being robbed in the box and Chalmers had a pot-shot from an unlikely angle that was easily held by Jerome Prior, but that was about the sum of it. Thistle really ought to have taken the lead on 28 minutes. A superb challenge from Robbie Crawford dispossessed Jamie Brandon as the Livingston skipper tried to shepherd the ball out of play, and the Thistle midfielder drilled a low ball across goal. Graham met it with a cute backheel, but his effort rolled harmlessly wide of the far post. Moments later and Crawford had a go himself, showing neat footwork to advance into the box before rifling a powerful drive just wide. It seemed like the home side were building momentum when Livingston took the lead through some excellent play from left wing-back Robbie Fraser. The on-loan Rangers man galloped forward into a gap that opened up down Livi’s left wing, driving menacingly into the box and carefully choosing his moment to play a ball across the face for Scott Pittman to prod home from a few yards out. The visitors could have doubled their advantage minutes later when a slack header back to Mitchell from Low was cut out by Montano. Mitchell parried the initial shot at goal into the path of Kelly, whose first-time effort was hoofed off the line by Lee Ashcroft.

Mark Wilson made one change at the break as centre-half Luke McBeth, who appeared to pick up a niggle in the first half, was brought off for striker Alex Jakubiak. It was Livingston, though, who were asking the awkward questions. Montano had a header saved and an audacious overhead kick from Danny Wilson whistled narrowly over the bar before the visitors made it 2-0 on 52 minutes. A ball into the box fell invitingly for Wilson, and this time the centre-half lashed it home off the underside of the bar. It could have been three a moment later, but Mitchell was quick off his line to close down Pittman from close range following some more excellent play from Kelly. At the other end, Graham connected well to a Low corner kick, but the striker failed to direct his close-range header on target. Steven Lawless and Stanway were introduced with a little over 20 minutes to go and Stuart Bannigan - who received his 99th booking for Thistle shortly beforehand - and Aidan Fitzpatrick made way as Thistle made the most of their meagre bench. Ashcroft would go close with a marauding run forward and a powerful shot that clipped the bar on its way over, but that was the closest the hosts would come to reducing the arrears. The defender was also forced off after picking up a knock in the game's closing stages. Then, a moment that may well come back to haunt the Jags. Jakubiak found Chalmers in space down the left with an excellent pass, and the winger's low ball across goal reached Graham just a few yards out, only for the veteran striker to blaze over. Only a momentous performance at Almondvale can salvage Thistle’s promotion hopes. The Jags have developed a happy habit in recent weeks of winning when it truly matters, though. Time will tell if they can pull one more rabbit out of the hat.

Reaction

Partick Thistle co-manager Mark Wilson (speaking to the BBC):

Nothing quite went right for us tonight. I don't think we had enough intensity in or out of possession. Disappointing that we didn't score at the end, but I thought they were the better team. I'm not being too harsh on our players, because it's been a long road and they've dug deep time and time again. The players have got a lot of belief in each other. They know they can do it. You get the first goal and the tie swings again with the pressure on Livi.

Livingston manager David Martindale (speaking to the BBC):

The result's there, the performance was okay. It sets us up for a great start on Friday night, but it's definitely not over. I never felt we were under any real threat to be honest. They never really built the game. We built the game really well at times and when you do that, you create chances.

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PLAY-OFF STRUGGLES

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