SCOTT TIFFONEY has had to wait a while for his chance for a regular run of games in the starting XI, after finding himself in and out of the first team at previous clubs Morton and Livingston. Now that he has it, the Partick Thistle winger is determined to keep on showing exactly what he’s capable of.
The 23-year-old might not be finishing the campaign by lifting silverware but he has received plenty of recognition in other quarters. The players he has competed against all season named Tiffoney as one of four contenders for the PFA’s Championship player of the season award while closer to home, the forward has been named as the Jags’ young player of the season.
It’s the latest achievement on what has been a hugely beneficial stint in Maryhill for both the club and the player himself. If was Tiffoney’s arrival on loan last term that was the catalyst for Thistle’s late charge to the third-tier title, and it has been the tricky winger’s dribbling ability that has carved opponents open time and time again this season.
Perhaps the biggest testament that can be paid to Tiffoney’s form this year, though, has been the opposition’s approach in nullifying his threat. When the campaign kicked off, the inside forward often found himself locked in individual battles against a full-back. These days, it’s not an uncommon sight to see two or three players doggedly marking Tiffoney to try and keep him out the game.
“You could say that’s a compliment but it’s a bit of a pain in the neck if you ask me,” said Tiffoney, winner of the club's McCrea Financial Services Young Player of the Year award as voted by Thistle fans.
“At the start of the season I was getting a lot of joy – teams hadn’t clicked on that I was good 1v1. Now they are starting to click on and they are putting two men on me but look, it’s just part and parcel of the game. I just need to dust myself down and get on with it.”
Even when his opponents start to double or triple up on him to restrict his space, though, it isn’t always enough. As a player who thrives in tight spaces and driving directly at goal, Tiffoney does not shy away from a mazy dribble where multiple opposing players are left in his wake.
“No matter how many players are there … I think a few times the boys want me to pass the ball but in my head I know I can beat them,” he explained. “I think I’ve proven a few times that I can take a few players on.”
Tiffoney readily admits that his style of play has changed as the campaign as progressed due to the unforgiving surface at Firhill. During the first half of the season, when the turf was still in decent shape and the groundshare with Queen’s Park had not yet taken its toll, the Jags boasted one of the best home records in the league.
That form in Glasgow’s west end has deteriorated in line with the pitch, and Tiffoney doesn’t shy away from the truth of the matter: as someone who relies on dribbling so much, he simply cannot play the way he would like at home.
“If you watch us week in, week out – a lot of our games at the start of the season were 3-1, 4-1,” Tiffoney recalled. “We scored a lot more goals.
“Now, the pitch obviously isn’t great. If you look at our performances at the start of the season – we were passing the ball – but now you can’t really take that risk. Even passing the ball back to the goalkeeper it will bobble, whereas at the start of the season you could pass and play again.
“So I think we are more direct now. It has taken us a little bit to get used to it because that’s not what we want to do. I feel like with my game especially – dribbling on that bobbly surface isn’t great. It doesn’t take a genius to work that out.
“There’s not a lot you can do. It’s all right saying the old cliché that both teams play on the same pitch but it might suit some teams that come here better than it suits us. If you ask me I prefer playing away from home and that’s not the case with most teams in the league.”
Despite the recent recognition that has fallen his way, Tiffoney remains determined to continue his upward trajectory. In order to do that, he feels there is one aspect of his game that requires additional work: his final ball.
A return of five goals and six assists this year in the Championship is a decent enough record but the man himself believes he is capable of producing more in the final third.
“I feel like I need to add more consistency to my game,” he added. “Maybe not performance-wise, but to be at the top level my final ball has to be more consistent. I’m working on that daily.”
Partick Thistle's Young Player of the Year Award for season 2021/22 is proudly sponsored by McCrea Financial Services - visit www.mccreafs.co.uk to find out more.
