Match Report
Thistle extended their winning start to the season to four games with a, just about, deserved win against Airdrie United.
After making a number of changes for the midweek cup tie with Forfar it was very much as you were for this fixture with Simon Donnelly replacing the injured Mark Roberts the only change to the side that had started the league season with a win against Dunfermline Athletic. David Rowson making his 100th Thistle appearance in his traditional midfield berth.
The first 20 minutes of this game belonged to an industrious and energetic home team and they may well feel that the failure to convert a couple of excellent chances during that period ultimately cost them the game.
In the 10th minute Matthew Hazley skipped clear down the Thistle left. His cross was headed by Simon Lynch into the path of Paul Di Giacomo who from the edge of the box thumped a shot off the base of the Thistle post.
He was much closer than his team mate Steven McDougall was 4 minutes later. After being nicely set up directly in front of the Thistle goal he could do no better than send his shot high over the bar.
Some half hearted appeals for a penalty after Scott Chaplain had been barged in the box in the 8th minute aside it took Thistle until the 18th minute to pose a genuine threat to the Airdrie United goal. Gary Harkins broke from midfield before an interchange of passes between Simon Donnelly and Damon Gray finished with the formers’ shot comfortably saved by Robertson.
Robertson had another comfortable save to make when Marc Twaddle managed to get his head to an Ian Maxwell long throw but Thistle were beginning to make an impact upon the game.
In the 27th minute Simon Donnelly cut inside before seeing a shot deflected wide of goal for Thistle’s first corner of the afternoon and seven minutes later Gary Harkins tested Robertson from distance after Damon Gray had been beaten to a high ball by an Airdrie United defender.
Paul Paton was beginning to get some joy down the Thistle right and in the 41st minute his cross looked to have provided Simon Donnely with a glimpse of goal but Donnelly, who produced an excellent performance, was tackled before managing to fire a shot towards goal. The corner that followed was only partially cleared and Ian Maxwell sent in a shot from the edge of the box but ti was always heading away from goal.
Thistle started Stephen McKeown on for Scott Chaplain but it was the home side that started the half the better. In the 50th minute Jonny Tuffey did well to block a Joe Cradle shot but former Thistle trialist Simon Lynch will feel that he should have done better than send the rebound harmlessly wide of goal.
Tuffey had another save from Cardle and a McKenna cross just needed a touch in front of goal as Thistle had an uncertain ten minutes or so. Once again though Airdrie were unable to take advantage of this short period of ascendancy.
Simon Donnelly was at the heart of most things for Thistle and in the 58th minute after neat play between him and Gary Harkins he sent a shot wide of goal.
Three minutes later there were loud appeals for a Thistle penalty when Gary Harkins went to ground just inside the Airdrie box after he and Donnelly had again combined with telling affect.
After two goals in midweek Damon Gray was nearly on target again in the 63rd minute. Paul Paton’s back post cross picked out Gray whose header was blocked at the expense of a corner.
This game was looking more and more likely to be settled by just a single goal and as the match moved into its last quarter Thistle were looking the more likely to find that goal. In the 72nd minute a shot through a ruck of players from Stephen McKeown was just a little too straight to unduly worry Robertson in the Airdrie United goal.
The game’s winning goal was not long in coming though. A contentious decision to award Airdrie a corner provoked a
furious reaction from the Thistle fans but when that corner was cleared an incisive Thistle break put the home defence under pressure. With Airdrie outnumbered Paul Paton crossed for Damon Gray and Gray, as befitting a good striker bang in form, needed just one touch to create a better opportunity for himself before firing low and hard into the net.
Naturally Airdrie pushed men forward in search of an equaliser but a solid Thistle defence dealt comfortably with most of what they had to face. Only twice did anxiety levels rise at all with Jonny Tuffey firstly being sharp off his line to clear with his feet a back pass and then being well placed to intercept a cross from substitute McGuire at his near post.
