ANALYSIS O'Donnell's consummate skill and finish for Thistle belies an apparent lack of confidence
THE performance and goal suggested a player who possesses a natural swagger and an inner belief that a bright career in the game awaits yet Stephen O'Donnell's mind thinks otherwise. For the 84 minutes O'Donnell was on the pitch on Saturday, Dunfermline didn't have an answer to him, the defender, playing on the right of midfield, turning in a superb performance to help Thistle record a 5-1 win over their title rivals and return to the top of the Irn-Bru First Division.
The 20-year-old was the epitome of a hard working, energetic and skilful team revelling in the occasion as 5268 fans packed Firhill for this top of the table clash. After Steven Lawless and Conrad Balatoni had put Thistle 2-1 up, O'Donnell made his mark.
"You need to look to get on the ball," he says of his goal as he went from his right midfield berth to the left flank before dinking the ball over Paul Gallacher. "You look at Messi, he is left mid, right mid, I am the same as him! I actually taught him that chip! I have taken it from the Simon Donnelly trick book."
His claims for goal, and man, of the match were perhaps harshly later taken away by Ross Forbes, the former Motherwell midfielder capping a fine individual display with a thunderous drive before Lawless completed the rout. It was a performance that showed O'Donnell at his very best but the former Celtic youngster does not buy into any hype.
"I believe I am good enough but I don't particularly show it," he said. "In the dressing room, I am a bit loud but I am a bit of an oddball. I am not as cool as the other ones in a fashion sense and that kind of thing. Off the park, I talk and I am loud but I am not particularly confident. In training, I look at other people and think 'he is better than me'. I don't know if that is the best thing, people say you need to be confident. I believe that when I am on the park I am good enough to be on it but before it, whether I am good enough to play is a different story."
While Thistle sparkled as they returned to the top of the table, Dunfermline were left dejected, with an Aaron Muirhead own goal that briefly brought them back into the match ultimately not even a consolation.
"They were second best all round the pitch and they have got to take that on board and we will see how they come out in the next game, because that is the making of a good team," manager Jim Jefferies said. "That shows a bit of character and I believe they have got a bit of character about them."
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