MANAGER’S NOTES BRIAN GRAHAM
I’d like to begin by welcoming Paul Brownlie and everyone else at Motherwell WFC to Petershill Park for this afternoon’s SWPL 1 game. After getting our first taste of top flight football last weekend, we can’t wait for more and this will be another very difficult match. Reflecting on the game against Aberdeen, it was obviously a very important day for the club as a whole when you consider the bigger picture; it was just a shame we couldn’t mark the occasion with a result. We take plenty of positives from that game though because we showed that we’re going to be competitive at this level. If we can tidy up little parts of our game here and there then I think we can do really well this season. We had two trialists playing for us in that game in Rebecca McGowan and Jade Greenshields and I’m pleased to welcome them both to the club officially now, with both of them having signed on Friday. Rebecca played the full 90 minutes for us and was very impressive in the middle of the park. She’s a young player who has already played a lot of football at a very good level and should prove to be an excellent addition to the squad. The same goes for Jade who came off the bench in the second half and came close to a debut goal. She’s been captain at St. Johnstone for a number of years and brings those leadership qualities with her as well as her footballing ability. Looking back to today’s fixture again, it’s going to be another tough test for us as a team. Motherwell have a lot of quality in their squad and have obviously got plenty of SWPL 1 experience to go with that. We have to believe in ourselves though and play with bravery. We’re all keen to get our first win of the league season and hopefully that can come today. Enjoy the game,
PTWFC NEWS
NEW SIGNINGS Signed just a little too late to be formally welcomed to the Club in the programme for the Aberdeen game it is a warm welcome to London Pollard and Summer Christie. Both players have joined Thistle on loan from Celtic, London until December and Summer until the end of the season, and both made their Thistle debuts last Sunday against Aberdeen.
St Johnstone, have now become fully fledged Partick Thistle players.
Both players join Brian Graham’s squad with a wealth of SWPL experience. Twenty year old Rebecca had been a mainstay of the St Johnstone squad for a number of seasons and was three times a SWPL Player of the Month nominee. Additionally she has been capped twice at under 16 level, 9 times at under 17 level and 13 times at under 19 level for Scotland.
Although still just 16, London has already gained SWPL1 experience with Forfar Farmington and Celtic finished in the runners-up slot in last season’s SWPL1 Jade, 31, has been part of the St Johnstone quad since campaign. 2012 and captain since 2018 having previously been with Dundee United and Forfar Farmington. While London made her Thistle debut from the start of last week’s game with Sunday, Summer made her Said manager Brian Graham; “I’m delighted to add Jags debut as a second half substitute. another two to the squad. We’re a bit light with some long term injuries so I’m happy to add two girls with Seventeen year old Summer, who has been capped real quality.” three times at under 16 level for Scotland, spent the second half of last season on loan with then SWPL1 Welcome to Thistle girls. Forfar Farmington. Our thanks are extended to Celtic for allowing London and Summer to join us on loan and we are confident that both players will have a big impact in red and yellow in the weeks and months ahead. Also featuring in our fixture last Sunday as trialists were Rebecca McGowan and Jade Greenshields. Rebecca from the start and Jade as a second half substitute. We are delighted that both players, most recently of
Summer Christie and Rebecca McGowan
PTWFC NEWS
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES Smith became the first scorer during the Brian With this afternoon’s fixture rescheduled from next Graham era with Cheryl Rigden and Demi Falconer Sunday we now have no fixture next weekend. netting the two other Thistle goals that afternoon. Our next scheduled fixture is our rescheduled fixture with Glasgow City with that now confirmed Interestingly of Brian’s starting eleven and seven for Thursday September 30th here at Petershill Park substitutes that afternoon ten still remain part of his with a 8pm kick-off. Please note that this a Glasgow squad one year on. City home fixture. Those ten being; Eleanor Smith, Demi Falconer, We follow that up with an away fixture with Celtic Colette Fleming, Cheryl Rigden, Clare Docherty, on Sunday October 3rd. Taylor McGlashan, Sophie Gallacher, Jade Gallon, Kim Murphy and Emma Craig. TODAY’S OTHER FIXTURE Thistle’s full record since Brian took charge is as follows: There is just one other SWPL1 fixture taking place this afternoon. That fixture being: P W D L F A Aberdeen v Hamilton 22 12 3 7 51 27 ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY September 14th marked the one year anniversary of the appointment of Brian Graham to the position of manager of Partick Thistle WFC with Richard Foster and Ross Docherty forming a triumvirate management and coaching team. Since then Richard Foster has moved onto a position within the Partick Thistle Youth Academy but we have been able to welcome Stewart Hall to the role of Assistant Manager and Secretary. It’s been an eventful, challenging twelve months for all. Brian’s first game in charge came in a SWPL2 fixture away to Queen’s Park on Sunday October 18th 2020 with Thistle running out 3-0 winners. Eleanor
FREYA MACDONALD PLAYER INTERVIEW
PLAYER INFO
Name: Freya MacDonald Date of Birth: 03/07/2003 Position: Defender Joined Thistle: December 6th 2020 Previous Club(s): Rangers International Honours: 9 caps for Scotland Under 17s Thistle Debut: Boroughmuir Thistle, (A) 5/12/20 Thistle Appearances and Goals: Apps: 9(2), Gls 0
You arrived at the club on loan from Rangers last season before becoming a full-fledged Jag over the summer. What was it that made you want to come here permanently? I think for me, Brian was a big part of it and the way that he is trying to get the team to play. There is a real intensity about the training here and I thought that it would be good for my development to come here and get game time and look to push on. How much do you feel the game time you’ve had here since you arrived on loan has helped you grow as a player? For me, playing games has been huge. I’m starting to become more confident on and off the ball and I’m learning all the time so I just want to keep getting minutes so I can continue to improve.
I think in terms of intensity, there’s a massive jump and the tempo of play is a lot different. It’s important that you try to bridge that gap by trying to get some minutes as a young player because otherwise you’ll really feel the difference when you do eventually make the step up. I got a taste of it with the loan spell last season and now I’m relishing the challenge of a full season in the SWPL 1. When you agreed to re-join the club we were an SWPL 2 side but suddenly we find ourselves in the SWPL 1 for the 21/22 campaign. Is the challenge of playing the best teams in the country each week one that you’re looking forward to? Yeah, it’s definitely exciting. It’s going to be a big challenge for us this season trying to stay up and I think from a young player’s perspective you have to look forward to going up against the best players in the country because those sort of tests bring the best out of you. Are you feeling the benefits of being able to learn from some of the experienced SWPL players that we have here at Thistle?
It’s great to have those more experienced players because you can learn a lot from them. We’ve got plenty of players who’ve played at a very high level for a long time and that means they’ve got loads of knowledge to What do you think are the biggest differences pass on. The same goes for Brian and Doc who are both between playing in youth football and playing in great players away from their coaching roles here so it’s a the senior game? great environment for younger players like myself.
PLAYER SPONSORS 1. Lauren McGregor 2, Rosie Slater
Pauline and Elaine Morag & Graham Elrick
3. Kim Murphy 4. Cheryl McCulloch 5. Demi Falconer
CL Flooring
6. Colette Fleming
Dunmuir Coachworks
7. Teigan McCann
True Potential Wealth
8. Clare Docherty
PTFC Nomads
9. Taylor McGlashan 10. Emma Craig
Gordon McClure
11. Cara McBrearty
The Mayes Family
13. Ellie Vernal
W Munro (Rehab) Ltd
14. Sophie Gallacher 15. Jade Gallon 16. Rebecca McGowan 17. Sophie Payne 18. Danica Dalziel 19. Cheryl Rigden 20. Freya MacDonald 21. Lauren Grant 22. Eleanor Smithj 23. London Pollard 24. Amy Bulloch 25. Summer Christie 26. Eva Payne 27. Jade Greenshields
41 Sports Media Cobie O’Neil
Cobie O’Neil
Dogs Without Border Scotland
Greenhill Tyres & Exhaust
Cobie O’Neil
OUR SPONSORS THANK YOU
LAST MATCH
PARTICK THISTLE 0 V 2 ABERDEEN
Thistle were sadly unable to mark the historic occasion of their very first match in the top tier of the women’s game in Scotland with a win. When the dust had settled on what was often a bruising 90 minutes, it showed that Thistle had come up a little short against last season’s SWPL2 Champions, Aberdeen, and had gone down to a 2-0 defeat. Brian Graham’s team selection handed a Jags debut to new loan signing from Celtic London Pollard and there was a real sense of anticipation ahead of kick-off. Once the game started though it was the visitors from Aberdeen that were first to assert themselves on proceedings, although McGregor in the Thistle goal was never called upon to make a direct save. Nor was her counterpart at the other end although a Freya MacDonald shot following a lovely crossfield pass from Pollard was touched behind for a Thistle corner. As Thistle began to grow in confidence and settle into the game Rigden was just unable to get on the end of a Pollard cross and a Slater effort from distance cleared the Aberdeen crossbar. It was Aberdeen though that had the better of the opening 45 minutes. McGregor was able to make an important save with her feet to deny Shore and McCulloch made an important interception just as Ogilvie was about to shot. The fact that Aberdeen were unable to turn their territorial dominance into clear cut chances in the first half was testimony to the discipline that Thistle defended with. They were, however, forced into making a change at the break with Captain Fleming picking up a knock just before half-time. The second half was a more even affair than the first had been but clear-cut openings at either end remained at a premium. The deadlock was broken though after 52 minutes with the circumstances leading to the goal highly unfortunate from a Thistle perspective. After play had been stopped for Falconer to receive treatment the game restarted with an uncontested drop-ball at the edge of the Thistle box with Falconer still off the field. From that drop-ball the ball was worked to Thomson who found the net with a composed finish. Aberdeen’s defensive efforts restricted the number of opportunities that came the Jags way as Thistle pressed for find an equaliser. A McBrearty shot from distance, dipped just a shade too late, a McCulloch header from a McBrearty free kick cleared the bar and a Christie shot from outside the box was too direct to truly trouble Gilmour in the Aberdeen goal. The destination of the points was not settled until the game was in injury time. McGregor had already saved at the feet of Christie as she raced clear of the Thistle defence on a counterattack but with the game two minutes past the 90 minute mark she made no mistake when a second opportunity came her way. Any Thistle appeals for offside falling on deaf ears. Team: McGregor, Slater (Smith), McCulloch, Falconer, Fleming (Trialist), McGlashan, McBrearty, Trialist, Rigden (Christie), MacDonald, Pollard.
PAST MEETINGS VS MOTHERWELL
Although Thistle met the Motherwell Development side on a number of occasions during our journey through the ranks of the women’s game we have met Motherwell just twice previously in competitive fixtures, with today’s match the first ever league meeting between the two teams. The first of those two previous encounters came in the Third Round of the 2019 Scottish Women’s Cup. The 2019 season was Thistle’s first as a SWPL Club and the Scottish Cup draw handed Thistle an away tie with SWPL1, and the previous season’s SWPL2 Champions, Motherwell. Despite being a league below the home side, Thistle ran their SWPL1 opponents close and it was only after a period of extra-time, following a goalless 90 minutes, that Motherwell emerged 2-0 winners. Chelsea McEachran and Katie Rice were the two Motherwell goal scorers. Motherwell: Vincenti, Adams, Cairney, Callaghan (Montgomery), Crooks, Doran-Barr (Arbuckle), Knox (Roberts), McEachran, Rafferty, Rice. Thistle: Robson, Ross (Jaycock), Jackson, McGlashan (Hawksworth), Lawton, McLeod, Lyle, Mallon (Murray), Rigden, Paterson (Bisland), Morris (Christie).
The most recent meeting to today’s two teams came in the aborted 2020 season. Indeed the Scottish Women’s Premier League Cup match was the last game that Thistle played before Covid-19 brought that season to a finish. Sadly Thistle were unable to go out on a positive note as on that occasion Motherwell were able to emphasis the gap in divisions between the two sides and ran out 6-1 winners. An unfortunate own goal from Sophie Gallacher got Motherwell off and running with Jordan McLintock following that up with a hat-trick and Kaela McDonald-Nguah a double. This counter that wet night came late on from Suzanne Mulvey, her last goal in Thistle colours. Motherwell: Ramsay, Watson, Gallon, Hay (Adams), McLintock, Rice, Inglis, Black (Roberts), McDonald-Nguah (Reside), Sinclair, Pullar. Thistle: Baillie, Todd (Hawksworth), Smith, Falconer, Docherty (Fleming), McGlashan, Craig (Christie), Gallon, McAvoy, Gallacher (Millar), Mulvey.
Looking across the teams for those two games throws up some interesting points to note. Scorer of that hat-trick, Jordan McLintock, played two games as a trialist for Thistle towards the end of last season’s SWPL2 season. The Gallon listed in the Motherwell team for the Premier League Cup team is Lauren Gallon twin sister of our own Jade Gallon who also played in that match. In goal for Motherwell in the 2019 Scottish Cup match was Anna Vincenti who kept goal for Thistle on a number of occasions in the second half of last season. As befitting Thistle’s longest serving player, Taylor McGlashan is the only Thistle player to have featured in to two previous clashes between today’s teams.
TIME TO MAKE MORE HISTORY TOM HOSIE
Last Sunday was a memorable day in the relatively short history of Partick Thistle WFC with the club playing their first fixture in the top flight of Scotland’s women’s game. It was also the first time that we had paying spectators at one of our home games since the days prior to Covid It was great to welcome back some old faces and to welcome others taking in one of our fixtures for the very first time. While we were never in danger of, sadly, putting out ‘Ground Full’ signs out there was a welcome bustle around the place last week. It was encouraging to receive favourable feedback from those attending one of our fixtures for the first time. There was plenty to be encouraged about with the performance too but sadly at the end of the 90 minutes, no points. Last Sunday’s game against Aberdeen, who had stretched Celtic the previous weekend, was the perfect example of the importance of taking your chances when they come. Over the course of the game there wasn’t a great deal between the sides other than Aberdeen displaying commendable ruthlessness in front of goal when opportunities came their way in a game of limited chances at either end. We’ve rightly highlighted the progress of our club and elevation to SWPL1 but that isn’t the end of the journey for us. Reaching SWPL1 was just part of the long-term objective for Partick Thistle WFC. Now here we want to try and establish ourselves as a permanent feature of the top flight. To do so we need to develop the kind of killer instinct in front of goal that Aberdeen demonstrated last weekend. Despite last weekend’s loss we believe that there was evidence aplenty that we have a squad capable of being highly competitive at this level. In a division where there is a great disparity in terms of resources there will, of course, be matches where the challenges that we will face will be exceedingly tough. Equally though there will be occasions where we feel we will be competing on a more level footing. Today’s match with Motherwell is one of those occasions. Motherwell, like ourselves, are still looking for their first points of the season and like us have likely targeted fixtures such as this one as vital to their ambitions for the season. It’s shaping up to be a fascinating encounter. Our first SWPL1 fixture was an historic occasion for us. There’s still more history to be made though. Hopefully by 2:45pm this afternoon we are celebrating our first SWPL1 win and lauding the scorer of our first goal at this level.
TEAM LISTS PARTICK THISTLE 1. Lauren McGregor 2. Rosie Slater 3. Kim Murphy 4. Cheryl McCulloch 5. Demi Falconer 6. Colette Fleming 7. Teigan McCann 8. Clare Docherty 9. Taylor McGlashan 10. Emma Craig 11. Cara McBrearty 13. Ellie Vernal 14. Sophie Gallaher 15. Jade Gallon 16. Rebecca McGowan 17. Sophie Payne 18. Danica Dalziel 19. Cheryl Rigden 20. Freya Macdonald 21. Lauren Grant 22. Eleanor Smith 23. London Pollard 24. Amy Bulloch 25. Summer Christie 26. Eva Payne 27. Jade Greenshields
MOTHERWEL 1. Khym Ramsay 2. Rachel Connor 3. Claire Crosbie 4. Chelsie Watson 5. Jo Addie 6. Amy Anderson 7. Kodie Hay 8. Claire Adams 11. Lori Gardner 12. Eilidh Martin 14. Gill Inglis 15. Nicole Cairney 16. Olivia Potter 17. Kaela McDonald-Nguah 18. Leanne Crichton 19. Holly Napier 21. Katie Andrews 22. Jordan McLintock 23. Georgie Rafferty 24. Abby Skelton 25. Jemma Hughes 25. Lauren Doran-Barr 26. Laura McCartney 30. Courtney Whyte 66. Paige McAllister