Partick Thistle Reserves 4, Cowdenbeath Reserves 0
Tuesday 17th January 2012
The Thistle reserves returned to action this evening and did so in fine style, defeating Cowdenbeath 4-0.
It was a positive evening all round with Willie Kinnburgh playing his first game since picking up an injury against Falkirk back in August. Willie came through the 90 minutes without any apparent problem and with Alan Archibald suspended at the weekend he may well come into contention for a place in the squad for the visit of Dundee to Firhill at the weekend.
Thistle fielded a strong team for this match but it was Cowdenbeath that were the first of the two teams to come close to scoring. Ryan Scully making the first of a number of sharp saves in the opening minutes before a well timed tackle from Gavin Griffin denied Cowdenbeath, who included former Jag Derek Lyle in their side, a chance.
Play though very quickly became centred round the Cowdenbeath penalty box and Thistle took the lead in the 16th minute. Tommy Stewart’s perfectly judged through ball was collected by Christie Elliott who angled a shot across the body of the Cowdenbeath keeper and into the far corner of the net.
Shaun Fraser, playing his first game after a frustrating loan spell at Stenhousemuir, was looking eager and he wasn’t too far with a shot from the edge of the box after his sharp turn took him away from his marker.
In the 27th minute Christie Elliott really should have had a second goal. Ryan MacBeth’s through ball put Elliott clear on goal but the Cowdenbeath keeper was able to turn Elliott’s shot round the post for a corner. It was from that corner though that Thistle and Elliott did have a second goal. Chris Erskine sent the corner across and Elliott was able to rise above the Cowdenbeath defence to head home.
Six minutes later Thistle had a third goal and again it followed a corner. This time Thistle enjoyed a fortunate break of the ball inside the box but Shaun Fraser showed good striking instincts to turn the ball home from six yards out when the ball came his way.
The second half followed a similar pattern to that of the first, although Thistle were able to add just one further goal to their tally.
Tommy Stewart and Shaun Fraser both missed good chances in the early stages of the second half and Christie Elliott was denied a hat-trick when, after ignoring appeals for offside, he was denied by the visiting goalkeeper.
At the other end Ryan Scully wasn’t called into action too often but when he was he equal to anything Cowdenbeath could throw at him. One save in particular, after a shot had taken a deflection off a defender, was straight out of the top drawer.
The game’s final goal, however, came at the other end just passed the hour mark. Tommy Stewart was able to collect an excellent ball from midfield and when left with just the keeper to beat he finished with some confidence to make it 4-0.
Team: Scully, Griffin, Lindsay, Bannigan, Robertson, Kinniburgh, Erskine (Sekhon), MacBeth, Stewart (Moffat), Elliott (Keenan), Fraser.
