Partick Thistle Avoid Scare to Defeat Raith Rovers
Partick Thistle halted a Raith Rovers comeback as they defeated a side that came back from two goals down 3-2 at the Wyre Stadium at Firhill. This result inflicts Raith with their first league defeat of the campaign, with Thistle now unbeaten since their opening day 5-1 thrashing to St. Johnstone and find themselves level on points with today’s travelling side. The hosts raced in front with a blistering performance in the opening quarter of an hour of the game, with journeyman talisman Tony Watt giving the Jags the lead in the 7th minute of the game, when he slid onto the end of a low cross courtesy of Thistle academy graduate Aidan Fitzpatrick who’s work down the left wing made it all happen. Fitzpatrick would score one of his own just six minutes later, cutting onto his right foot with the use of a couple of stopovers, and putting his laces through the ball to bury it passed Josh Rae in the away goal. Thistle remained on top of the visitors up until the 20th minute which is when the momentum began to shift in favour of the Kirkcaldy side, when Partick Thistle captain Lee Ashcroft brought down Raith forward Paul McMullan inside the box and was booked for his troubles. Dylan Easton took the spot kick, and sent goalkeeper Josh Clarke the wrong way as he tucked the ball into the bottom left corner the goal. Raith found inspiration from this avenue back into the match and really began to take the game to Mark Wilson’s side, eventually finding an equaliser after being two behind so early on in the 36th minute. McMullan chased an aerial long ball and chested it down to put himself through one on one with Clarke. He took it round the Thistle goalkeeper but the angle was unkind to him, leaving him with no option but to square it back across for midfielder Ross Matthews to hammer home and level the scoring. Many of the Thistle faithful had their hearts in their mouths on the 65th minute when Raith striker Lewis Vaughan went down inside the box, with many fearing the home side had conceded another penalty. Alas, the referee brandished his yellow card to Vaughan for simulation. Thistle reclaimed their lead 16 minutes from time, as both of their wingers combined to give them the advantage. Aidan Fitzpatrick again with some stunning play down that left flank to beat his man, before his left footed cross zipped across the box for Logan Chalmers to run onto the end of at the back post to smash it goal wards to net his 5th goal of the season in all competitions. There was a couple of late scares of an equaliser for Raith in the dying minutes of the game. Jack Hamilton had a chance to level the scoring around 10 minutes from time, but couldn’t sort his feet out and the ball hit his leg and sailed over the bar from close distance. Merely just a couple minute after this, a cross from wide right nearly floated into Josh Clarke’s goal, but his palm to divert it only led to another chance for Paul McMullan, with the attacker seeing his effort cannon off of the crossbar. Raith piled on further pressure, with the ball falling to Jordan Doherty in acres of space in the final minute of regulation time, but his half volley hit the side netting and Raith’s hopes of a point on the road evaporated. Partick Thistle: Clarke 5, Reading 6, Ashcroft 5, Chalmers 8 (Lawless 3), Crawford 6 (Turner 4), O’Reilly 6, Fitzpatrick 9 , McPherson 6, Stanway, Watt 8 (Samuel 4), Lets’osa 7 (McBeth 2) Raith Rovers: Rae 5, Hanlon 5, Fordyce 5, Matthews 6 , Mullin 6 (Vaughan 3), McMullan 8, Brown 6 (Hamilton 3), Byrne 5, Doherty 7, Easton 7 (Chin 3), Stevenson 5
