Partick Thistle’s 100 per cent start to the Scottish Championship season came to an end, following their 1-1 draw away to Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Friday night. Seb Drozd gave the Jags the lead early into the first half with a powerful effort before a late equaliser from Alfie Bavidge saw them leave the Highlands with a point.
There were two changes from the side that started the Jags’ narrow defeat to Hibs in the Premier Sports Cup on Sunday. Alex Samuel returned to his position up front at the expense of Tony Watt, while Ben Stanway made his first start since re-signing with the club as Robbie Crawford made way.
It was a cagey opening five minutes, with Inverness looking the brighter of the two sides. On six minutes, ICT had the first chance of the game, after Thistle found themselves under pressure from a corner. The ball made its way to Remi Savage on the edge of the area, with Thistle keeper Liam McFarlane having to stay sharp, stretching to ensure the ball didn’t go in.
The away team would get their first chance on the nine-minute mark. Paddy Reading managed to slip past his man Calum MacLeod and feed the ball to Alex Samuel. Samuel flicked the ball goalwards, forcing a fantastic save out of Caley keeper Ross Munro, who pawed the ball out for a corner. From the resulting set-piece, Dan O’Reilly tried his luck with a header, but the angle was too tight to produce anything of substance.
Up the other end, Alfie Stewart tried his luck from outside the box on 14 minutes. His long-range effort ricocheted off the post and went behind for a red-and-yellow goal kick as the game threatened to produce an opener.
It would be Mark Wilson’s men who took the lead on 18 minutes, thanks to some fantastic wing play. Fitzpatrick carved out an opening on the left, cutting the ball back to Drozd in the centre of the box, ten yards out. Drozd fired his shot into the back of the net, with Munro powerless to stop it.
The opening goal would take the sting out of the Caley Thistle attack. Liam Sole swung a corner into a packed six-yard box on the 20-minute mark, with the Jags only clearing it as far as MacKinnon. His shot from just outside the box did not threaten, instead ballooning its way over the crossbar.
After grabbing his first league goal earlier in the game, Drozd was on the hunt for a second. First, he teed up Oisin Smyth to have a dig, but the Northern Irishman’s shot went over the crossbar. Sixty seconds later, it was Drozd’s turn to try his luck. Munro got himself onto Drozd’s shot from outside the area though, tipping it round the post to keep the score at 1-0.
Munro saved Caley’s bacon again three minutes from half-time after Samuel was fouled to give the Jags a free-kick in a dangerous area. Smyth’s delivery was well hit, but Munro was more than equal to the shot, catching with confidence to ensure the teams went down the tunnel with just the one goal separating them.
Wilson turned to his bench at the break. Ben McPherson was forced to withdraw after picking up a knock midway through the first half, with Ethan Ingram taking his place for the second half.
Five minutes after the interval, Munro would be called into action to face yet another Smyth free-kick. The playmaker drilled his shot goalwards, but once again the Inverness keeper was on hand to tip the ball round at his left-hand post.
The home side were starting to ask questions of the Thistle backline again though. Bavidge found his way past the last man on 55 minutes, going through on goal, only to find the offside flag had been raised.
Minutes later, a well-worked short corner routine between Sole and MacKinnon saw the ball whipped across the face of goal. With the ball crying out for a touch to send it goalwards, there were no takers, and it rolled out for a goal kick.
Wilson’s customary substitution on the hour saw a double change with Mackay-Steven and Crawford coming on to shore things up at the expense of Drozd and Stanway.
There was a hair-raising moment for the away side on 67 minutes when some slack defending saw Ryan Duncan slip through for a one-on-one with McFarlane. The young Jags keeper kept his nerve though, diving in at the feet of Duncan to ensure he got to the ball first. He’d take a sore one in the process, requiring treatment afterwards, but was able to continue.
Ben Dempsey was given a run-out, replacing Ts’oanelo Lets’osa with 20 minutes to go. Samuel made way soon after as Tony Watt entered the fray, with the former Ross County man leaving to a chorus of boos from the Inverness fans.
Former Jag Dan MacKay soon made an appearance, the midfielder now back at full fitness following a torrid two years at Firhill where a succession of injuries saw him fail to make a single league appearance.
The Jags fans who made the long trip up to the Highlands may have had a sinking feeling about Mackay settling unfinished business in vintage Firhill fashion, but while Inverness would soon find a leveller, it came from a different source.
Paul Allan pumped a ball into the box on 89 minutes, where a lurking Bavidge was on hand to head past McFarlane and grab a leveller somewhat against the run of play.
The Glasgow side flung themselves forward in hope of a late winner, but a Fitzpatrick corner flicked out for a throw was as close as they came as the spoils were shared and the Jags had to settle for a point on the road.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.