Partick Thistle Football Club

The Reserve League Cup has brought little joy for Thistle so far this season but tonight they made light work of Stenhousemuir. A strong Thistle team, albeit including only three that featured at any stage against Dundee on Saturday, running out emphatic 5-0 winners with 4 of the goals coming in the last 30 minutes.

Thistle's first chance of the night arrived in the 4^th minute. Chris Erskine and Jim Hamilton combined to set up Bryan Hodge who saw his shot turned round the post for a corner.

The home side came close themselves two minutes later when a shot from 25 yards out struck the outside of Craig Hinchcliffe's right hand post but if truth be told it was pretty much one way traffic in the first half.

In the 20^th minute Willie Kinniburgh headed a Paddy Boyle corner off the crossbar and less than a minute later Kris Doolan was a little unfortunate to see his shot from the corner of the box just clear the Stenhousemuir bar.

Doolan perhaps should have scored, however, in the 32^nd minute. After collecting an excellent through ball from Jim Hamilton he was left with just the home keeper to beat but saw his shot deflected wide for a corner.

The goal that Thistle's play clearly merited finally arrived in the 38^th minute. Bryan Hodge won the ball at the edge of the box and with just the keeper to beat he took advantage of the time and space he had to take better control of the ball before slotting home.

Thistle very nearly doubled their lead less than a minute after the restart. A neat back heal from Stephen McKeown put Chris Erskine but he saw his shot saved at the expense of a corner.

On the hour mark subs Ryan MacBeth and Kieran Burns were introduced to the fray and their energy and endeavour helped give Thistle a little more of a cutting edge and in the 67^th minute Thistle found themselves 2-0 ahead. Kieran Burns did well to set up Kris Doolan whose curling shot from 12 yards out was destined for the net from the second it left his foot.

Ryan MacBeth came close in the 70^th minute with a thundering drive that was just inches too high before Kris Doolan scored his second goal of the night in the 75^th minute. Doolan collected a Chris Erskine pass at the edge of the box and turned and shot in one fluid movement with his final effort eluding the grasp of the home keeper.

With five minutes remaining it was a fourth goal for Thistle and this time it was Chris Erskine who got on the score sheet. The scorer of two goals Kris Doolan was the creator this time pushing the ball through to Erskine who shot across the keeper and into the far corner.

There was time even for a fifth Thistle goal before the finish. A cross from the left from Ryan MacBeth picked out another young sub Jamie Campbell and the back post and he was able to steer his header beyond the keeper and into the net.

There were a number of good performances in this fixture. Kris Doolan was among the goals while the two full backs Paul Paton and Patrick Boyle acquitted themselves well and pushed forward at every opportunity. It was perhaps though the three young substitutes that caught the eye with their youthful enthusiasm and no little skill.

Team: Hinchcliffe, Paton, Boyle, Hodge, Kinninburgh, Corrigan, McGeough (Campbell), McKeown (MacBeth), Doolan, Hamilton (Burns), Erskine.