Having picked up their first win in over two months with the 2-1 victory against Morton, Partick Thistle made the trip north, knowing that three points against Jim McIntyre’s Arbroath would help further consolidate the Jags’ grip on third spot.
In his quest for consistency, manager Kris Doolan named an unchanged starting XI from the side that downed the ‘Ton the weekend prior. Following a knock to Stuart Bannigan, compounded by Tomi Adeloye’s season-ending surgery, the Jags bench was beginning to look somewhat threadbare. With numbers depleted, starlets Che Campbell and Thomas Horn both received the senior call-up having excelled at under-18s level this term.
Last time out at Gayfield, an Aidan Fitzpatrick-inspired Thistle ran rampant, with the young winger notching a brace on his return from injury as the Jags ran out 3-1 winners.
The Academy graduate picked up where he left off as he terrorised the Arbroath backline once more. A trademark near-post finish finding the back of the net for the game's only goal, taking Fitzpatrick’s personal tally to 10 goals for the season and his fourth in four outings against the Red Lichties.
A routine 1-0 victory for the Jags which could, and probably should, have been more comprehensive having seen two goals chalked off for offside amongst a barrage of big chances that went abegging for the visitors as they battered rock-bottom Arbroath, who looked completely bereft of ideas.
Now only six league games remain and Doolan’s side look to have all but secured their play-off berth as the win in Angus sends Thistle eight points clear of fifth-place Dunfermline Athletic.
With the job done on Saturday, focus switched to the women’s side as they geared up for a trip to the Capital to take on Rangers in the 2023/24 Sky Sports Cup Final.
A whopping 53 years had passed since a Partick Thistle side last graced a major cup final and for many a Jags fan in attendance Sunday’s showing at Tynecastle will have been their only opportunity to see their club compete at that stage of any competition.
Undoubtedly, Brian Graham’s girls went into the final as heavy underdogs against a Rangers side that had tasted defeat just once all season. However, the Jags themselves were enjoying a fine campaign having secured a top-six finish for the second consecutive season and were full of belief that they could upset the apple cart having already halted the Gers with a goalless draw last month - ensuring 17-year old Jags stopper Ava Easdon became the only goalkeeper to register a clean sheet against the blues this term.
A record league cup crowd of 4786 descended upon Tynecastle featuring a large Thistle contingent who travelled through to Edinburgh with dreams of seeing captain Demi Falconer raise the trophy wreathed in red and yellow ribbons.
Despite a fast-paced start from Graham’s side, it was the bookies' favourites who took the lead after a quarter of an hour when youngster Mia McAulay latched onto a route-one pass before firing the into the bottom corner to put the Gers ahead.
The inevitable Rangers goal had come early and many expected a procession from then on, but Thistle had other ideas. Not content on sitting back and allowing Rangers to flex their muscle, Thistle would put the cat amongst the pigeons just five minutes later through a wonder strike befitting any cup final.
Thistle’s cup run has been awash with beautiful goals and they saved the best for the grandest stage of them all. Rachel Donaldson collected a pass infield from Clare Docherty before firing into the postage stamp of Victoria Esson’s goal to send the noisy Jags support into raptures. A stunning strike from Donaldson that saw her etch her name into Thistle folklore joining the list of Firhill greats in Blair, Rae, Lawrie, McQuade and Bone as cup final goalscorers for the Harry Wraggs.
The plucky part-timers had Rangers rattled but goals either side of half-time left the Maryhill side’s hopes dead in the water and Jags boss Graham made the tactical decision to shut-up shop and keep the score to a minimum as the fitness of the full-time Ibrox outfit prevailed, running out eventual 4-1 victors.
Sadly it wasn’t to be for the Jags and the absence of cup glory grows a year further but the words of Brian Graham will no doubt be left ringing in the ears of his players as he reiterated that his side had merited their place in the final and that Sunday’s defeat is by no means the end of the journey for Partick Thistle Women but rather the beginning, as they look to ensure the club start to make reaching cup finals a more regular occurrence.
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