Match Preview
No matter the fixture the reward of three points for winning remains exactly the same. There are, however, some fixtures that have significance beyond the points on offer. Although not a Championship decider at McDiarmid Park tomorrow with Thistle trailing St Johnstone by just three points it is a pivotal fixture all the same.
Heart can be taken from our excellent away form since the turn of the year. Victories away from the confines of Firhill have been recorded against Airdrie United, Clyde, Dunfermline Athletic, Livingston and Ross County since 2008 became 2009. Our victory against Dunfermline was our first success at East End Park for an incredible 26 years. It hasn't been quite as long since we last won a fixture in Perth, November 1993 to be precise, but with the East End Park hoodoo broken last month the feeling is growing that the McDiarmid Park hoodoo might just be ready to be broken as well.
There is certainly a sense of anticipation in the air at Firhill at present and when www.ptfc.co.uk caught up with manager Ian McCall for the latest team news you could detect the excitement in his voice.
"It's the kind of fixture that you love to be involved in and we are absolutely delighted to be involved in a title race at this stage of the season. With St Johnstone having some really tough fixtures to play after they have played us on Saturday I don't believe that a draw tomorrow would signal the end of our promotion hopes but we will be going to McDiarmid Park with just one thought in mind, namely winning the match."
"We will have to try and do just that without, as we have been for about three quarters of the season, Liam Buchanan. Liam has done a spot of training this week but he will definitely not take any part in tomorrow's game. I don't really need to say that is a blow but we will just have to get on with things without Liam. The news elsewhere on the injury front though is good. Liam is the only player that is unavailable to me. The players such as Alan Archibald, Simon Donnelly and Willie Kinniburgh who were struggling before we had the week off are fit for tomorrow's game."
St Johnstone meantime have signed Stevie Kinniburgh, Willie's younger bother, on loan from Rangers for the remainder of the season and the left back is expected to be included in their squad tomorrow. They will, however, be missing Chris Millar who serves a one game suspension on Saturday.
Thistle Stats
Current Form - Last Five Games
W D L F A
3 1 1 8 4
Scorers Season 2008/2009
Gary Harkins 11
Stephen McKeown 7
Liam Buchanan 6
Kris Doolan 5
Scott Chaplain 4
Damon Gray 4
Ian Maxwell 4
Paul Paton 3
Simon Donnelly 2
Kevin McKinlay 2
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
Sunday March 22nd 2009
Partick Thistle 1, Dundee 1
St Johnstone Stats
Current Form - Last Five Games
W D &n bsp; L F A
2 2 1 8 5
Scorers Season 2008/2009
Steven Milne 11
Collin Samuel 7
Derek Holmes 6
Liam Craig 5
Paul Sheerin 4
Stuart McCaffrey 3
Kevin Rutkiewicz 3
Gavin Swankie 3
Martin Hardie 2
Peter MacDonald 1
Chris Millar 1
Own Goal 1
Last Game
Irn-Bru Scottish League First Division
Saturday March 21st 2009
St Johnstone 3, Airdrie United 0
Last Meeting
Irn-Bru Scottish League First Division
Saturday January 17th 2009
Partick Thistle 0, St Johnstone 0
Teams
Thistle: Tuffey, Paton, Twaddle, Storey, Kinniburgh, Archibald, Chaplain (McKeown), Rowson, Doolan (McKinlay), Donnelly (Roberts), Harkins.
St Johnstone: Main, Irvine, Hanlon, Morris, Rutkiewicz, McCaffrey, Swankie (Millar), Craig (Moon), Holmes, Jackson (Samuel), Sheerin.
Crowd: 3,353
Match Details
Irn-Bru Scottish League First Division
Saturday April 4th 2009
St Johnstone v Partick Thistle
Kick-off: 3:00pm
Prices
Adults: £17
Senior Citizens: £7
Juvenile (under 16): £6
Juvenile (16-18): £10
The Thistle supporters will be accommodated in the North Stand which has a capacity of 1,973.
Other First Division Fixtures
Airdrie United v Dunfermline Athletic
Clyde v Livingston
Morton v Dundee
Queen of the South v Ross County
Match Officials
Referee: Alan Muir
Assistant Referees: Derek Rose & Craig Sim
