Match Preview
Tomorrow we bring the curtain down on the season at Firhill. The fact that we enter the penultimate game of the season still with a chance of winning the First Division is beyond what most people expected when the league season started back in August.
With St Johnstone holding a four point advantage over Thistle at the top of the league we are, of course, not just hoping for Thistle victories in our remaining matches but a slip or two from St Johnstone as well. A Liam Buchanan penalty deep into injury time last Saturday against Livingston allowed us to take the title race into the second last game of the season. We will now be hoping that the right combination of results will allow us to take the title race into the final day of the season.
Ahead of tomorrow's game, therefore, manager Ian McCall was able to bring www.ptfc.co.uk with all the latest team news.
"As it always does the end of the season is fast approaching with Saturday's game with Airdrie United our final home game of the season. The fact that we go into it still with a chance of winning the league says much for my squad of players. If spirit alone won leagues then I can't help but feeling that we would have been crowned champions some time ago."
"As it is we all accept the fact that, in all likelihood, it will be St Johnstone that will win the First Division. A 4 point gap with just 2 games remaining gives them a real advantage. A win for St Johnstone against Morton at the weekend will give them the title. We have to try and not occupy our thoughts on what might be happening elsewhere and concentrate on our own game and then hope that St Johnstone slip up."
"We can't influence what happens away from Firhill but for us the worst case scenario at full-time would be heading into the dressing room to discover that both ourselves and St Johnstone had both either lost or drawn."
"Our aim on Saturday, therefore, is simple. We must win - I would even be happy if we were to win with another penalty in the 93rd minute!
"I would say that we would also like to win while scoring a few goals into the bargain but that would be hugely disrespectful to Airdrie United. They have their own priorities this weekend and are as desperate for points as we are. Although they presently find themselves in second bottom spot they are a good side. A side, we shouldn't forget, that have already won at Firhill this season."
"I'm aware that this is a fixture that means a great deal too both sets of supporters no matter the circumstances and we could hardly have wished for a more attractive fixture to finish the season at Firhill with."
"As normal I'm down to the bare bones in terms of players for this fixture. Willie Kinniburgh has been utilised as a substitute of late with a view to being used only in the case of an emergency as he really needs an operation. It is to his credit that he has made himself available but he is really starting to feel his injury and it looks as if he will miss out against Airdrie United. Stephen McKeown too is still not fit enough to play while Gary Harkins remains suspended for one further game. Added to those list of absentees are Simon Donnelly and Scott Chaplain both of whom I would rate as no more than 50/50 at present."
"As this is our final home game I would like to finish by thanking all of our supporters for their fantastic support across the whole season and would ask you to get right behind the players in the two remaining games this season."
Thistle Stats
Current Form - Last Five Games
W D L F A
2 2 1 4 4
Scorers Season 2008/2009
Gary Harkins 12
Liam Buchanan 7
Stephen McKeown 7
Kris Doolan 5
Scott Chaplain 4
Damon Gray 4
Ian Maxwell 4
Paul Paton 3
Simon Donnelly 2
Kevin McKinlay 2
Lucas Akins 1
Mark Roberts 1
John Robertson 1
David Rowson 1
Chris Turner 1
Marc Twaddle 1
Own Goals 1
Last Game
Irn-Bru Scottish League First Division
Saturday April 25th 2009
Partick Thistle 1, Livingston 0
Airdrie United Stats
Current Form - Last Five Games
W D L F A
2 1 2 3 7
Scorers Season 2008/2009
Simon Lynch 12
Paul Di Giacomo 11
Joe Cardle 3
Scott McLaughlin 3
John Baird 2
Stephen McKenna 2
David Nixon 2
Stuart Noble 2
Darren Smith 2
Marc Smyth 2
Stephen Mcguire 1
Scott McLaughlin 1
Own Goal 1
Last Game
Irn-Bru Scottish League First Division
Saturday April 25th 2009
Airdrie United 1, Ross County 0
Last Meeting
Irn-Bru Scottish League First Division
Saturday January 31st 2009
Airdrie United 0, Partick Thistle 1
Teams
Airdrie United: Robertson, McLachlan, Hazley (Baird), McDonald (McLaughlin), Donnelly, Smyth, McDougall, McKenna, Di Giacomo, Lynch (McGuire), Cardle.
Thistle: Tuffey, Paton, Twaddle, Storey, Kinniburgh, Archibald, Doolan, Rowson, Buchanan (Chaplain), Donnelly (McKinlay), Harkins (McKeown).
Scorer
Thistle: Buchanan (43)
Crowd: 1,988
Match Details
Irn-Bru Scottish League First Division
Saturday May 2nd 2009
Partick Thistle v Airdrie United
Prices
Adults: £15
OAPs/Students:16-21 £10
Under 16s: FREE
Programme: £2.50
Other First Division Fixtures
Clyde v Dundee
Queen of the South v Dunfermline Athletic
Ross County v Livingston
St Johnstone v Morton
Match Officials
Referee: Crawford Allan
Assistant Referees: Martin Cryans and Brian Templeton
