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The 2-2 draw at home to Ayr United brought down the curtain on a winless October for injury-ravaged Partick Thistle. Three draws and a thrashing at the hands of Dundee United marked undoubtedly the most difficult period of Kris Doolan’s managerial career to date. But a new month brings new hope and Saturday saw Thistle head north-east in their quest for a valuable three points.
Despite only managing one victory in their last six outings, the Jags, somewhat miraculously, found themselves wedged in third place in the Championship table. With the pack of promotion play-off hopefuls hot on their heels, the trip to Gayfield would prove pivotal.
Lying in wait was Dick Campbell’s Arbroath. A side also struggling to find consistency this season. Starting the league campaign with three defeats on the bounce had seen Arbroath tipped as the bookies' favourite for the drop. However, the red lichties would go on to win four of their next six league games - including a 3-0 whitewash over the Jags at Firhill - leaving Dick Campbell’s men with aspirations of the right end of the league table.
The ever-spirited Partick Thistle support - joined on this occasion by a number of famous faces such as Jack & Victor and Mario & Luigi amongst others - would receive a further boost when the lineups were announced. Aidan Fitzpatrick was restored to the starting eleven following his hamstring injury whilst the colossal Tam O’Brien of Arbroath would sit this one out having picked up a knock during training.
The Jags would go in search of a quick start at Gayfield, with the away side having the ball in the back of the net twice inside the opening 10 minutes through Brian Graham and Harry Milne respectively, both goals however ruled to have been offside, much to the displeasure of the Thistle skipper.
The chances were coming thick and fast for Thistle. Wasiri Williams, who seems to be growing in confidence with each passing week as he continues to deputize at right-back in the absence of Jack McMillan, beating his man with ease before sliding a ball across the face of goal only for Brian Graham’s finish to be cleared off the line with the goal at his mercy. The talismanic striker, furious with himself for failing to burst the net on this occasion.
The persistence was to pay off and the deadlock was soon broken through a moment of sheer brilliance from the Jags. A stunning reverse pass from the mercurial McInroy found Fitzpatrick unmarked in the box to dink the ball over the onrushing Gaston, sending the away end into raptures.
The one-way traffic carried on into the second half. The phenomenal Fitzpatrick upended inside the area, only for the usually reliable Stevie Lawless to have his penalty saved by Gaston in the Arbroath goal. The tension growing amongst the travelling supporters, as they know all too well what can happen when you fail to take your chances.
The angst soon dispersed with McInroy and Fitzpatrick combining once again to give the Jags a cushioned lead, before Brian Graham notched his customary goal. The number nine capitalised on a defensive mistake to put the cherry on the cake, ensuring all three points would be heading back to Maryhill.
The Arbroath hoodoo seems to be a tale of yesteryear as Thistle makes it four league games at Gayfield without defeat.
Sunday saw attention turn to the Partick Thistle Women’s team. Last month the club hosted Celtic at Petershill Park in SWPL action, the fixture attended by 366 spectators. A record attendance for the women’s side.
With attendance steadily increasing and the side continuing to impress under the stewardship of Brian Graham, the girls would have their day in the sun. Led by captain Demi Falconer, the side would take to the hallowed Firhill turf to take on bottom-of-the-table Hamilton Academical.
The opening stages proved to be a cagey affair, with the occasion seeming to get to the players as alluded to by manager Graham in his post-match interview. The noisy crowd awaited a moment of magic to spark the game to life and they wouldn’t have to wait much longer as Graham’s side opened the scoring with a very Graham-esque goal.
Kodie Hay bombing down the right-hand side, her cross pinpoint to the head of Lucy Sinclair who glanced the ball into the far corner of the net. A historical moment for Sinclair, scorer of the first-ever goal at Firhill for Partick Thistle Women. The only previous outing was a 14-0 victory for Thistle Weir Ladies over a Cumbernauld Colts development side back in 2016, thus being prior to the rebrand under the ‘Partick Thistle’ umbrella.
The second half saw Thistle pick up where they left off. Cara Henderson, showing Lawless how it’s done, firing an unstoppable penalty into the top corner for her 8th goal of the campaign. A routine 3-0 victory was rounded off by the magnificent Emma Lawton, the full-back with a stunning strike from the edge of the area that her tireless performance had merited.
A joyous day with 874 in attendance at Firhill, more than doubling the previous club record. For many, perhaps their first Women’s game, but by no means their last.
