Partick Thistle Match Report

A heartbreaking end at Balmoral cost us two points, with goalkeeper Jamie Sneddon the improbable Partick hero as he headed home from a corner in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

We had led from early on, Mitch Megginson finishing off an impressive move, but spurned golden chances to extend our advantage, and were made to pay in the dying seconds.

The opening goal came in the sixth minute.

Mark Reynolds began the move deep inside his own half, pinging an accurate ball forward to McDonagh. Gerry controlled it in the centre circle, turned, and passed wide to Longstaff, who immediately set up Max Johnston. The full back raced to the line and crossed, and when the ball fell for Mitch Megginson, the captain did not hesitate, hammering a ten-yard strike which Sneddon got a hand to, but was beaten by the ferocity of the shot.

“…two big chances for the side to kill off the game in the second half.””

Cove Rangers

(4-4-2)

McKenzie; Johnston, Sanders, Reynolds, Logan (Fyvie 23); Longstaff (Ross 69), Yule, Gilmour, Scully; Megginson (c), McDonagh (McIntosh 72)

Substitutes

Gourlay, Towler, Neill, Masson, Vigurs, Dunne

Goalscorers

Megginson (6)

Booked

Fyvie (75)

Partick Thistle

(4-3-3)

Sneddon; McMillan (Fitzpatrick 81), Brownlie, Muirhead (c), Milne; Turner, Hodson, McKinnon (Weston 74); Lawless (Bannigan 46), Graham, Smith (Mullen 46)

Substitutes

McCready, Akinola, Stanway, Lyon

Goalscorers

Sneddon (90)

Booked

Bannigan (77)

Referee

Steven McLean

Attendance

1,128

There were two big chances for the side to kill off the game in the second half.

In the first, following a mistake near the halfway line, Gerry McDonagh raced away clear in behind the Thistle defence. As keeper Sneddon left his line, the big striker had a decision to make, and decided to try to round the keeper, but the Partick man got a hand to it, and the ball was booted clear.

Then, as the game ticked into stoppage time, there was another glaring opportunity for us to secure the victory.

In a quick counter, Megginson gathered inside the Thistle half and split their back line with a pass for McIntosh to run on to, but Leighton failed to make the most of the one-on-one, and between them, Sneddon and Muirhead held him up, then cleared the danger.

With referee Steven MacLean inexplicably allowing the game to roll into a fifth minute of additional time, the visitors won a corner on the right.

Bannigan sent in an inviting delivery and keeper Sneddon, having raced eighty yards up the pitch, rose to direct the ball into the net with a welljudged glancing header to break home hearts.

It was the most dramatic of finishes to a game we should have long since sewn-up, and another reminder of just how tough and demanding the Championship is.

THE SEASON SO FAR

After the jubilation of winning the League One title and clinching a place in the Championship for this season, a summer of upheaval ensued.

Out of the blue, double title-winning manager, Paul Hartley, was off to Hartlepool with Jim McIntyre the man earmarked as his replacement.