Partick Thistle 1 Dunfermline 0

cinch Championship: five changes as Aaron Comrie, Leon Jones, Rhys Breen, Nikolay Todorov and Lewis McCann start. Ross Docherty (15) 1-0:

Dunfermline returned to Firhill for the second last league fixture of the 2021-2022 season. It was the fourth visit to the Maryhill stadium this season and a repeat of the first result back in July would be just fine since this was a match of tremendous significance.

The Pars in eighth place sought a win that would ease them away from the danger of relegation and play offs. The home side had other thoughts as they played for precious points that could secure them a Premiership play off spot.

John Hughes made no fewer than five changes from the side that started against Ayr United the previous Saturday. Coll Donaldson was out with a groin strain while Matty Todd, Dom Thomas, Kevin O’Hara and Liam Polworth were dropped to the bench. Into the side came Aaron Comrie, Leon Jones, Rhys Breen, Nikolay Todorov and Lewis McCann.

The Thistle side showed just one change from that which played Raith Rovers with former Pars midfielder Kyle Turner taking the place of Olatunji Akinola.

The pitch was watered after the warm up before former Thistle player Steven Lawless led Dunfermline out into the late April sunshine. A beautiful day but for which club? The teams changed ends before the Fifers skipper kicked off with Dunfermline attacking the goal in front of the home support.

The opening ten minutes brought lots of head tennis and ball chasing. Comrie’s long throw in was the first real entry into the Partick box but Turner hoofed that clear. It was the 13th minute when Jakub Stolarczyk pulled off a great save to deny Brian Graham. Two minutes later however a Turner corner from the left was neatly finished by Ross DOCHERTY at the near post. 1-0

Thistle were again quickly on the attack and Scott Tiffoney whistled an effort narrowly wide left. Dunfermline’s response was a surging run by Josh Edwards who laid the ball off left for McCann to centre. As the ball flashed through the Jags box it evaded both Edwards and Todorov.

Dunfermline’s first corner came in 25 minutes and when Dan Pybus swung the ball in from the left a Thistle clearance almost teed up a chance for the Pars. Thistle cleared only as far as Joe Chalmers whose effort was deflected and gathered by the defence.

A great real mix up that created a fantastic chance for an equaliser five minutes from the interval. Keeper Jamie Sneddon came out of his box to challenge for the ball but failed and McCann looked through on goal before a crunching tackle by Stephen Hendrie saved the day for Thistle and a shot never materialised.

Dunfermline got more joy as they managed to thread some passes together but the home defence held as the Pars got deep into the final third. It was a first half where both teams cancelled each other out to some extent, only five shots in total and visitors two were not on target.

For the third week running Dunfermline were 1-0 down at half time, could the second half be like against Ayr?

Half time: Partick Thistle 1 Dunfermline 0

Within three minutes of the restart Stolarczyk pulled off a good stop to keep out a 25 yard rocket from Docherty but the ball dropped to Alex Jakubiak and you had to fear the worst, but the no.10 blasted the ball wildly over the bar.

Pars corners in 59th and 62nd minute were disappointments and then Edwards tried a speculative effort from distance that forced Sneddon to hold.

The ball had been kept well away from Stolarczyk for some time and the defensive wall kept out a 27 yard free kick. The visitors bench was called upon in three minutes later. Comrie, Jones and McCann were withdrawn and Kevin O’Hara, Matty Todd and Liam Polworth entered the fray for the final 14 minutes.

Todd’s first involvement was to put in a cross that Todorov headed into Sneddon’s hands. Dom Thomas was also introduced in place of Pybus but time was running out. Edwards and Chalmers pumped balls in from the left and Thomas fired in a corner from the right but they were all defended.

Despite a really decent final push from the Pars it ended 1-0 and coupled with the 1-1 draw between Queen of the South and Ayr United, the result leaves it all to do at East End Park on Friday when the Pars take on the now relegated Queen of the South.

Ayr United move up into eighth one place better off than Dunfermline and on Friday night they are at home to Partick Thistle who now consider themselves already in the play offs.

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