FRIENDLY
Glenafton Athletic	2 (0)	Lindsay, Carmichael
Partick Thistle	4 (4)	Graham (3), Fitzpatrick
Sat 06 July 2024	KO 3:00 pm	Loch Park, New Cumnock

Glenafton were delighted to welcome Partick Thistle to Loch Park today and to meet up again with former player Luke McBeth who clearly has made a great impression on the Harry Wraggs! Of course, Thistle’s manager Kris Doolan was no stranger to Loch Park, having starred for neighbours Kello Rovers and Auchinleck Talbot. Before kick-off both clubs and their supporters joined together for a minute’s applause in memory of the late Gerry Collins.

Sadly, the heavens opened at kick-off but thankfully conditions would improve later but no matter what, a vocal section of the large travelling support sang out whether rain and sun!

Although, the visitors looked lively from the kick-off, whipping balls across the face of the Glens goal from both flanks it was home side that came close to opening the scoring on 3 minutes.  Ewan Maley after a great run from the centre circle was finally up-ended on the outskirts of the box and curled the ensuing free kick over the Thistle wall only for keeper David Mitchell to leap and at full stretch push the ball high over the bar. The corner-kick that followed was floated beyond the back post where Danny McBeth headed it back into the danger only for it be cleared to the edge of the box where Craig Pettigrew rolled it back to Ross Lindsay to curl a shot the flew just wide of the post.

Back came Thistle and a break down the right ended with Wasiri Williams whipping a great ball into the six yard box for the inrushing Robbie Crawford only for Ally Semple to brilliantly block his shot on the goal-line from where Lewis Currie hooked the loose ball to the ‘D’ where it was gathered by Kyle Turner who quickly squared it left for Harry Milne to drive to the bye-line before chipping the ball into goalmouth for the incoming Brian Graham to get between two defenders and leap to bullet a downward header into the corner of the net from 3 yards out. Thistle 1-0 up on 7 minutes.

On 11 minutes the visitors doubled their lead with Williams from the right-hand corner of the box floating a perfectly weighted ball to the back post for Brian Graham to get the jump on Lyall Holding and another downward header the bounced over the diving Semple.

Played ebbed back and forth for a time with defences on top and a few chances on show. Semple got down low to hold Aidan Fitzpatrick’s low shot from inside the box. Midway through the half Turner chipped a ball into the goalmouth for Graham who did well to bring it under the control before trying to flick it over the head of Semple only for the keeper to pull off a great reflex save to bend over backwards and push the ball over the bar.

Glens mopped up another attack and Pettigrew played the ball out to Currie on the left who quickly picked out Armand Dollani on the half-way line to switch the play to Holding breaking up the right flank to float a ball where Shuggy Kerr leapt between Luke McBeth and Aaron Muirhead to flash a header dipped over the junction of the far post and bar.

On 30 minutes a stramash on the outskirts of the Thistle box between defenders McBeth, Muirhead & Ben Stanway and Kerr & Dollani ended with the Glens appeals for a free-kick being waved away and McBeth setting up a quick counter-attack which concluded with Crawford playing a slick one-two with Graham before slipping a pass to Aidan Fitzpatrick who curled a low shot from 12 yards beyond the reach of Semple and into the corner of the net. Thistle 3-1 up on 31 minutes.

The visitors finished the half strongly with Semple, Pettigrew and Daniel McBeth forced into goal mouth saves and blocks alike and when it seemed they had weathered the storm added a fourth on 44 minutes after Crawford whipped a low free-kick into the box where Brian Graham from the six- yard line got the slightest of touches to divert the ball into the net for his first-half hat-trick.

HT Glens 0 Thistle 4

On the bright side. Loch Park was now bathed in sunshine as the second half kicked off.

Both sides made four changes at the break.

Glenafton brought on Paul O’Brien, Andy Strachan, Cammy Ross and Ryan Walker for Lee Currie, Daniel McBeth, Sam McKee and Armand Dolani.

Thistle brought on keeper Mason McCready, Ricco Diack, Daniel O’Reilly and Daniel MacKay for keeper David Mitchell, Brian Graham, Aaron Muirhead and Logan Chalmers.

The visitors were first to threaten after Diack, a former team-mate of Shuggy Kerr at Rossvale, broke into the left hand-side of the box slipping past two defenders to drive for the bye-line and faced with Semple guarding the post he cut the ball back into the goalmouth for Daniel MacKay only for his shot from 4 yards to be blocked by O’Brien sending the ball spinning wide for corner which was scrambled clear.

Soon after, Milne, now with the captain’s arm-band, burst into the left-hand side of the box and squared the ball across the face of the goal but despite his best efforts the inrushing Diack stretched leg failed to make contact.

Stanway then weaved his way forward to the edge of the box before cracking a shot a vicious shot that Semple did well to push it round the post with both hands.

On 57 minutes Thistle made three changes with Robbie Crawford, Kyle Turner and Wasiri Williams making way for James Lyon, Zander MacKenzie and Che Campbell. The Glens followed suit soon after with Lewis Kennedy and Dylan O’Kane coming on for Craig Pettigrew and Evan Maley.

The Glens pulled one back on 62 minutes after Kerr had been impeded a yard outside the right-hand side of the box. Thistle set up a two-man wall while O’Kane and Ross Lindsay both set up as if to take the kick and it was the latter that curled a glorious shot over the leaping-wall and beyond the reach of the airborne keeper to bulge the net.

Tails were up and O’Brien from deep on the left skipped past two Jags before playing the ball forward to O’Kane who gave another two the slip as he drove forward to the edge of the box only for his shot to drift wide of the target.

Thistle made another couple of substitutions Jamie Taggart and Sallu Turay coming on for Aidan Fitzpatrick and Harry Milne, who passed the captain’s armband to Luke McBeth.

Another great run through the middle by O’Kane ended at the edge of the ‘D’ after McBeth nicked the ball from his toe, however the home side quickly recovered the ball allowing Lindsay to release Ross down the right and whip the ball into the goalmouth where O’Kane from the corner of the six yard box clipped it to the box post for the incoming Walker only for Campbell to make a superb sliding tackle two yards from the goal-line sending the ball back across the face of goal where McBeth’s sliding tackle prevented O’Kane from prodding the ball home, Kerr then tried to recover the ball from a tangle of limbs only for Stanway to steal the ball from the scrum and clear the danger.

On 73 minutes Glens made their final substitution with Ollie Rowe making way for Aaron Carmichael.

The visitors enjoyed a good spell. Campbell and Turay combined down the right where O’Brien and Kennedy combined to lock any crosses into the box, albeit at the expense of a corner which was met at the back post by the leaping O’Reilly only for Semple to get down low and save the header at the base of the post. Campbell from wide on the right gathered a long ball and cutely cushioned a cross to the edge of the six- yard box from where Turay leapt to glance a glorious header into the net, but from an offside position.

Thistle continued to press and were winning many of the aerial battles in the box with headers dipping over the bar, or inches of the post before it seemed O’Reilly had made a breakthrough but although it beat Semple, O’Brien was in place to head it off the line.

The Glens however, would have the final say on 87 minutes. O’Kane, in the centre circle, gathered the ball from O’Brien from where he weaved his way through the middle before being tripped by MacKay, some 25 yards from goal on the outskirts of the ‘D’. As before O’Kane and Lindsay lined up to take the free-kick and as before it fell to Lindsay who curled a low strike round the four-man wall and although the keeper got down to low to get two hands to it the ball shot up into the air, the alert Aaron Carmichael was first to react and guide the ball past the rising keeper and into the net. 

A couple of half chances at either end came and went before a thoroughly entertaining match enhanced by a great atmosphere at Loch Park, throughout the day. Gerry would have loved it!

FT Glens 2 Thistle 4.

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC
1. Ally Semple 2. Lyall Holding 5. Craig Pettigrew (captain) 14. Daniel McBeth 3.  Lewis Currie 7. Sam McKee 6. Ross Lindsay 20. Ollie Rowe 11. Evan Maley 9. Hugh Kerr 10. Armand Dollani Subs: 4. Andy Strachan 8. Cammy Ross 12. Ryan Walker 16. Aaron Carmichael 17. Lewis Kennedy 18. Dylan O’Kane 19. Paul O’Brien 20. Cammy Ross

PARTICK THISTLE
1. David Mitchell 3. Harry Milne 4. Wasiri Williams 5. Aaron Muirhead 6. Kyle Turner 9. Brian Graham (captain) 10. Logan Chalmers 14. Robbie Crawford 19. Luke McBeth 21. Aidan Fitzpatrick 26. Ben Stanway. Subs 24. Mason McCready 7. Daniel MacKay 20. Daniel O’Reilly 27. James Lyon 29. Zander McKenzie 32. Sallu Turay 33. Jamie Taggert 34. Ricco Diack 36. Che Campbell

Match Photos

Glenafton Athletic v Partick Thistle