This is how it feels (Partick Thistle 31 March 2018)

[Jonnyboy]

A dull and dreary day that for a good hour or so served up a dull and dreary match as the gusting wind and a strangely off the pace Hibs eleven, meant there was little to cheer for from the stands. It did improve however but more of that later.

Despite all the concerns of us having to field a depleted side, with McGinn suspended and both McGeouch and Bartley thought to be injury doubts, there was only one change to the starting eleven that had faced St Johnstone, with McGeouch replacing McGinn. The line-up was the now favoured 3-5-2 whilst Thistle stuck to a traditional 4-4-2 and in the early parts of the game it was the visitors that enjoyed the bulk of possession. It struck me at that point that two key factors were at play here with the first being the absence of McGinn leaving huge spaces in our midfield which, to his credit, Marvin Bartley tried to fill. Little help in that regard was offered by either Allan or McGeouch. The second thing that struck me was that Neil Lennon in the stand meant that messages to the players were delayed in arriving and so alterations to cover the problem areas were slower in arriving.

An early half chance saw Darren McGregor do well to put Miles Storey off after the Thistle man had latched on to a Sammon header and then a poor clearance allowed Devine a shot at goal but the ball sailed high and wide into the North Stand. At the other end, Scott Allan put in a series of wonderful free kicks with Ambrose very close to making a goal scoring connection on one occasion before great inter play between McLaren and Kamberi saw the latter set up McGeouch on the edge of the box. Dylan’s shot was on target but brought out a classy save from Cerny who seemed to land awkwardly on his left shoulder and was unable to continue thereafter.

On the half hour mark a rare slip by Ambrose allowed Storey to fire in a low cross from the left which Sammon flicked towards goal but brought out a stunning save from Cammy Bell. With half time approaching there was little of note to discuss, other than the blatant and unpunished time wasting by Thistle and a series of quite baffling and frustrating decisions by referee Andrew Dallas.

If the Hibs of the first half were slow and sluggish the Hibs of the second half showed a marked improvement. Play was slicker and closing down of opponents much better but with around twenty minutes left the visitors looked to have taken the lead when a Sammon header was brilliantly parried by Bell before Storey lashed the ball home. The joy amongst the travelling support was short lived however as the West Stand linesman flagged for an infringement. It seems to me that when Sammon headed goalwards, Storey was in an offside position and because Bell saved the Thistle striker became active. Had Sammon’s header gone straight in I reckon the goal would have stood.

That wakeup call struck home just a minute or so later when a cracking pass down the line by Ambrose saw Boyle use his searing pace to reach the ball as it neared the bye-line. Having done so he whipped a low cross in to the front post where Jamie McLaren pounced to knock the ball into the net, giving substitute keeper Ryan Scully no chance. Hibs had their tails up now and five minutes later they doubled their lead when a Scott Allan corner was met by Paul Hanlon who sent a looping header over the stretching arms of Scully and into the net.

The last discussion point of the game involved the dismissal of Danny Devine. Having fouled Kamberi and McLaren on a regular basis in the first half but escaped punishment he was booked for kicking the ball away at a Hibs free kick. Now 2-0 down and pushing everyone forward, Thistle were thin at the back and when a long diagonal pass looked to allow Kamberi a free run in on goal, Devine hauled him down and got a second yellow and subsequent red for his troubles.

When the final whistle blew there was a sense of relief because not only had we gained a couple of points on the Rangers, we’d maintained the points difference between ourselves and a much improved Kilmarnock.

The players

Cammy Bell – had one wonderful save in the first half and looked calm and assured throughout.

Efe – cool as a cucumber for 99.9% of the time with only one slip that I can remember.

Daz – got the sponsors’ man of the match award and looked solid throughout.

Paul – came very close to getting my man of the match award and took his goal very well.

Boyler – flitted in and out of the game but was crucial in setting up the opening goal.

Dylan – not at his best today but still looks a very accomplished footballer.

Marv – at times had to do the work of three and was hugely unfortunate to be booked.

Scotty – Thistle’s McCarthy was like his shadow but there were still a fair few moments of brilliance.

Lewis – outstanding again both going forward and defending he was my man of the match.

Jamie – sometimes a tad chicken hearted in the challenge but took his goal really well.

Flo – must go home exhausted because he works so hard. Needs a goal though.

Whitty – replaced Marv and was excellent in the holding role.

Oli – replaced Jamie and buzzed around well drawing one good save from Scully.

Danny – needs to change his name to Swansong as these two minute appearances would then make sense.

The fans – turned out in good numbers but the stadium was eerily quiet for long spells. Got noisy after the goals though!

The ref – poor and unsurprisingly so.

[Aim Here]

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Despite all the concerns of us having to field a depleted side, with McGinn suspended and both McGeouch and Bartley thought to be injury doubts, there was only one change to the starting eleven that had faced St Johnstone, with McGeouch replacing McGinn.

Unless they put Marciano in Cammy Bell's jersey and slipped him past the ref, there were two changes...

[Mikey]

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Unless they put Marciano in Cammy Bell's jersey and slipped him past the ref, there were two changes...

Bell did finish the last game

[Billy Whizz]

Great report as always John. Thought Thistle were the better team in the early stages, we just didn’t seem to have any flow to our game. Dylan wasn’t getting on the ball as much as usual, and Scott Allan didn’t feature at all.
After about 30 mins or so throught we started to find our feet

2nd half was much much better. Dylan got involved and started to disctate the play, and Allan was finding space
At Patrick’s disallowed goal, my view was blocked by all the bodies in from of me
Once we got our noses ahead, we started to play better and there was only one winner
Best for me were, Bell for his crucial save at 0-0, (who plays in goal on Tuesday), Ambrose had a great 2nd half, apart from one Efe moment, and McLaren looked the sharper of the strikers, although Kamberi’s work rate is incredible
Thought the subs did well too, and came on at good times. Whittaker looked really up for it, and got stuck it, great to have him back, and shaw took up some great positions late on

All in all, delighted with the 3 points, and look forward to the game on Tuesday, against a team we haven’t beaten yet this season

[hibby6270]

Another great summary.

Turning point for me today was bringing on Whittaker. Although his return hasn’t set the heather on fire so far, I felt him directly replacing Marv gave us a more forward and productive impetus and he slotted in well to the Marv role of breaking up play. It was a subtle difference but a game changer imo. Somehow freed up Allan, McGeough and Boyle bringing them into the game more and it paid off.

[WoreTheGreen]

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Another great summary.

Turning point for me today was bringing on Whittaker. Although his return hasn’t set the heather on fire so far, I felt him directly replacing Marv gave us a more forward and productive impetus and he slotted in well to the Marv role of breaking up play. It was a subtle difference but a game changer imo. Somehow freed up Allan, McGeough and Boyle bringing them into the game more and it paid off.

Me to thought Whittaker changed the game in our favour

[Devonhibs]

What was the attendance?

[Craig_HFC]

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Me to thought Whittaker changed the game in our favour

Yep, me too. Whittaker is a lot more comfortable on the ball than Marv which meant that the tempo didn’t drop when Whittaker got the ball as it did when Bartley did.

[superfurryhibby]

As always, great summary.

To be fair to Thistle, I thought they played us pretty well, especially in the first half. They were competitive and decent enough on the ball. I would also say that they never resorted to the thuggish tactics that we see so regularly against us. Hope they stay up.

[Pretty Boy]

Good report as always J.

I think Whittaker could be a big asset in that role he played today in the coming weeks.

[bigwheel]

Great Jonnyboy...enjoyed reading that....

I thought Daz struggled with Sammon in the first half...got his act together much better in the second -didn't see him as MOM. Lewis or Efe for me.


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[hibee_girl]

Great report as always

Have to say I was surprised that McGregor got MOTM as I felt he was off his game a bit in the first half. For me it was Stevenson or Hanlon who deserved it.

[Green Badger]

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Another great summary.

Turning point for me today was bringing on Whittaker. Although his return hasn’t set the heather on fire so far, I felt him directly replacing Marv gave us a more forward and productive impetus and he slotted in well to the Marv role of breaking up play. It was a subtle difference but a game changer imo. Somehow freed up Allan, McGeough and Boyle bringing them into the game more and it paid off.

Agree 100%. Our performance improved dramatically when Whittaker came on. We gained more possession in midfield and it certainly meant more time on the ball for both Allan and McGeough.

[cabbageandribs1875]

i thought bell had a great save in the 2nd half as well, down near his right hand post although it was straight at him he at least was in the right position

[JimBHibees]

Thought Paul Hanlon was mom. Drove us on second half and topped it off with a goal.

[Aim Here]

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Great report as always

Have to say I was surprised that McGregor got MOTM as I felt he was off his game a bit in the first half. For me it was Stevenson or Hanlon who deserved it.

Almost everybody on the Hibs side was off their game in the first half. I thought that McGregor looked like the only player who was even switched on in the first 45 minutes.

[BSEJVT]

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Almost everybody on the Hibs side was off their game in the first half. I thought that McGregor looked like the only player who was even switched on in the first 45 minutes.

Would agree with this

I would probably also have given Lewis man of the match also.

[erin go bragh]

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What was the attendance?

17.442 ( think that was what was announced:)

[Smartie]

I thought Hanlon was motm.

I don't remember him making a mistake all day, helped the attack in both halves of the game and put the game to bed with a great goal.

I thought that Scott Allan was another candidate though. It was a great set piece delivery for the second goal, and he carved the Thistle defence open with another couple. He's often the difference for us in the final third.

[bordergreen]

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A dull and dreary day that for a good hour or so served up a dull and dreary match as the gusting wind and a strangely off the pace Hibs eleven, meant there was little to cheer for from the stands. It did improve however but more of that later.

Despite all the concerns of us having to field a depleted side, with McGinn suspended and both McGeouch and Bartley thought to be injury doubts, there was only one change to the starting eleven that had faced St Johnstone, with McGeouch replacing McGinn. The line-up was the now favoured 3-5-2 whilst Thistle stuck to a traditional 4-4-2 and in the early parts of the game it was the visitors that enjoyed the bulk of possession. It struck me at that point that two key factors were at play here with the first being the absence of McGinn leaving huge spaces in our midfield which, to his credit, Marvin Bartley tried to fill. Little help in that regard was offered by either Allan or McGeouch. The second thing that struck me was that Neil Lennon in the stand meant that messages to the players were delayed in arriving and so alterations to cover the problem areas were slower in arriving.

An early half chance saw Darren McGregor do well to put Miles Storey off after the Thistle man had latched on to a Sammon header and then a poor clearance allowed Devine a shot at goal but the ball sailed high and wide into the North Stand. At the other end, Scott Allan put in a series of wonderful free kicks with Ambrose very close to making a goal scoring connection on one occasion before great inter play between McLaren and Kamberi saw the latter set up McGeouch on the edge of the box. Dylan’s shot was on target but brought out a classy save from Cerny who seemed to land awkwardly on his left shoulder and was unable to continue thereafter.

On the half hour mark a rare slip by Ambrose allowed Storey to fire in a low cross from the left which Sammon flicked towards goal but brought out a stunning save from Cammy Bell. With half time approaching there was little of note to discuss, other than the blatant and unpunished time wasting by Thistle and a series of quite baffling and frustrating decisions by referee Andrew Dallas.

If the Hibs of the first half were slow and sluggish the Hibs of the second half showed a marked improvement. Play was slicker and closing down of opponents much better but with around twenty minutes left the visitors looked to have taken the lead when a Sammon header was brilliantly parried by Bell before Storey lashed the ball home. The joy amongst the travelling support was short lived however as the West Stand linesman flagged for an infringement. It seems to me that when Sammon headed goalwards, Storey was in an offside position and because Bell saved the Thistle striker became active. Had Sammon’s header gone straight in I reckon the goal would have stood.

That wakeup call struck home just a minute or so later when a cracking pass down the line by Ambrose saw Boyle use his searing pace to reach the ball as it neared the bye-line. Having done so he whipped a low cross in to the front post where Jamie McLaren pounced to knock the ball into the net, giving substitute keeper Ryan Scully no chance. Hibs had their tails up now and five minutes later they doubled their lead when a Scott Allan corner was met by Paul Hanlon who sent a looping header over the stretching arms of Scully and into the net.

The last discussion point of the game involved the dismissal of Danny Devine. Having fouled Kamberi and McLaren on a regular basis in the first half but escaped punishment he was booked for kicking the ball away at a Hibs free kick. Now 2-0 down and pushing everyone forward, Thistle were thin at the back and when a long diagonal pass looked to allow Kamberi a free run in on goal, Devine hauled him down and got a second yellow and subsequent red for his troubles.

When the final whistle blew there was a sense of relief because not only had we gained a couple of points on the Rangers, we’d maintained the points difference between ourselves and a much improved Kilmarnock.

The players

Cammy Bell – had one wonderful save in the first half and looked calm and assured throughout.

Efe – cool as a cucumber for 99.9% of the time with only one slip that I can remember.

Daz – got the sponsors’ man of the match award and looked solid throughout.

Paul – came very close to getting my man of the match award and took his goal very well.

Boyler – flitted in and out of the game but was crucial in setting up the opening goal.

Dylan – not at his best today but still looks a very accomplished footballer.

Marv – at times had to do the work of three and was hugely unfortunate to be booked.

Scotty – Thistle’s McCarthy was like his shadow but there were still a fair few moments of brilliance.

Lewis – outstanding again both going forward and defending he was my man of the match.

Jamie – sometimes a tad chicken hearted in the challenge but took his goal really well.

Flo – must go home exhausted because he works so hard. Needs a goal though.

Whitty – replaced Marv and was excellent in the holding role.

Oli – replaced Jamie and buzzed around well drawing one good save from Scully.

Danny – needs to change his name to Swansong as these two minute appearances would then make sense.

The fans – turned out in good numbers but the stadium was eerily quiet for long spells. Got noisy after the goals though!

The ref – poor and unsurprisingly so.

I thought Ambrose had a howler today. Made quite a few mistakes that we luckily got away with. Also numerous passes where he gave away possession. I agree with the rest of your summary. Also thought Kamberi looked good again, strong, quick feet, a real handful.

[houstonhibbee]

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Thought Paul Hanlon was mom. Drove us on second half and topped it off with a goal.

Agreed

[Lancs Harp]

The first half if we are honest was pretty dire, I thought Thistle had some decent possession without having any punch. We played much better in the second half, more movement, moved the ball quicker, as others have said I thought Whitty did very well when he came on, no slight on Marv but we needed a deep lying midfield player that was a bit more of a ball player than Marv is for this particular game. Efe was Efe for me, some lovely moments with the odd heart attack moment thrown in, Cammy still worries me on crosses, he doesnt get off the ground, hes done well otherwise but Rocky for me when hes available. Overall many of the lads had a quiet afternoon, no one really excelling but we got away with it to an extent, 3 very welcome points.

No idea if the offside decision (presume it was offside) was correct or not, was sat in the FF.

[Green Man]

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No idea if the offside decision (presume it was offside) was correct or not, was sat in the FF.

I was in the south, with a good view of the goal, and have no idea if it was the correct decision!

[Billy Whizz]

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I thought Ambrose had a howler today. Made quite a few mistakes that we luckily got away with. Also numerous passes where he gave away possession. I agree with the rest of your summary. Also thought Kamberi looked good again, strong, quick feet, a real handful.

His best bits were better than his worse bits. Almost cost us a goal early in the 2nd half, but after that he was fantastic
He’s playing almost as a right back, not his best position

[Nakedmanoncrack]

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As always, great summary.

To be fair to Thistle, I thought they played us pretty well, especially in the first half. They were competitive and decent enough on the ball. I would also say that they never resorted to the thuggish tactics that we see so regularly against us. Hope they stay up.

I thought Partick played very well up until the goal, for a team in their position, probably heading for the play-off place.
If you contrast how utterly dire we were that season we ended up in the play-off place.

[Jonnyboy]

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Another great summary.

Turning point for me today was bringing on Whittaker. Although his return hasn’t set the heather on fire so far, I felt him directly replacing Marv gave us a more forward and productive impetus and he slotted in well to the Marv role of breaking up play. It was a subtle difference but a game changer imo. Somehow freed up Allan, McGeough and Boyle bringing them into the game more and it paid off.

Yep, as you and others have said he made a very positive impact. He's calmer in possession and reads the game very well.

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As always, great summary.

To be fair to Thistle, I thought they played us pretty well, especially in the first half. They were competitive and decent enough on the ball. I would also say that they never resorted to the thuggish tactics that we see so regularly against us. Hope they stay up.

Very good point

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I thought Ambrose had a howler today. Made quite a few mistakes that we luckily got away with. Also numerous passes where he gave away possession. I agree with the rest of your summary. Also thought Kamberi looked good again, strong, quick feet, a real handful.

Really?

[ronaldo7]

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A dull and dreary day that for a good hour or so served up a dull and dreary match as the gusting wind and a strangely off the pace Hibs eleven, meant there was little to cheer for from the stands. It did improve however but more of that later.

Despite all the concerns of us having to field a depleted side, with McGinn suspended and both McGeouch and Bartley thought to be injury doubts, there was only one change to the starting eleven that had faced St Johnstone, with McGeouch replacing McGinn. The line-up was the now favoured 3-5-2 whilst Thistle stuck to a traditional 4-4-2 and in the early parts of the game it was the visitors that enjoyed the bulk of possession. It struck me at that point that two key factors were at play here with the first being the absence of McGinn leaving huge spaces in our midfield which, to his credit, Marvin Bartley tried to fill. Little help in that regard was offered by either Allan or McGeouch. The second thing that struck me was that Neil Lennon in the stand meant that messages to the players were delayed in arriving and so alterations to cover the problem areas were slower in arriving.

An early half chance saw Darren McGregor do well to put Miles Storey off after the Thistle man had latched on to a Sammon header and then a poor clearance allowed Devine a shot at goal but the ball sailed high and wide into the North Stand. At the other end, Scott Allan put in a series of wonderful free kicks with Ambrose very close to making a goal scoring connection on one occasion before great inter play between McLaren and Kamberi saw the latter set up McGeouch on the edge of the box. Dylan’s shot was on target but brought out a classy save from Cerny who seemed to land awkwardly on his left shoulder and was unable to continue thereafter.

On the half hour mark a rare slip by Ambrose allowed Storey to fire in a low cross from the left which Sammon flicked towards goal but brought out a stunning save from Cammy Bell. With half time approaching there was little of note to discuss, other than the blatant and unpunished time wasting by Thistle and a series of quite baffling and frustrating decisions by referee Andrew Dallas.

If the Hibs of the first half were slow and sluggish the Hibs of the second half showed a marked improvement. Play was slicker and closing down of opponents much better but with around twenty minutes left the visitors looked to have taken the lead when a Sammon header was brilliantly parried by Bell before Storey lashed the ball home. The joy amongst the travelling support was short lived however as the West Stand linesman flagged for an infringement. It seems to me that when Sammon headed goalwards, Storey was in an offside position and because Bell saved the Thistle striker became active. Had Sammon’s header gone straight in I reckon the goal would have stood.

That wakeup call struck home just a minute or so later when a cracking pass down the line by Ambrose saw Boyle use his searing pace to reach the ball as it neared the bye-line. Having done so he whipped a low cross in to the front post where Jamie McLaren pounced to knock the ball into the net, giving substitute keeper Ryan Scully no chance. Hibs had their tails up now and five minutes later they doubled their lead when a Scott Allan corner was met by Paul Hanlon who sent a looping header over the stretching arms of Scully and into the net.

The last discussion point of the game involved the dismissal of Danny Devine. Having fouled Kamberi and McLaren on a regular basis in the first half but escaped punishment he was booked for kicking the ball away at a Hibs free kick. Now 2-0 down and pushing everyone forward, Thistle were thin at the back and when a long diagonal pass looked to allow Kamberi a free run in on goal, Devine hauled him down and got a second yellow and subsequent red for his troubles.

When the final whistle blew there was a sense of relief because not only had we gained a couple of points on the Rangers, we’d maintained the points difference between ourselves and a much improved Kilmarnock.

The players

Cammy Bell – had one wonderful save in the first half and looked calm and assured throughout.

Efe – cool as a cucumber for 99.9% of the time with only one slip that I can remember.

Daz – got the sponsors’ man of the match award and looked solid throughout.

Paul – came very close to getting my man of the match award and took his goal very well.

Boyler – flitted in and out of the game but was crucial in setting up the opening goal.

Dylan – not at his best today but still looks a very accomplished footballer.

Marv – at times had to do the work of three and was hugely unfortunate to be booked.

Scotty – Thistle’s McCarthy was like his shadow but there were still a fair few moments of brilliance.

Lewis – outstanding again both going forward and defending he was my man of the match.

Jamie – sometimes a tad chicken hearted in the challenge but took his goal really well.

Flo – must go home exhausted because he works so hard. Needs a goal though.

Whitty – replaced Marv and was excellent in the holding role.

Oli – replaced Jamie and buzzed around well drawing one good save from Scully.

Danny – needs to change his name to Swansong as these two minute appearances would then make sense.

The fans – turned out in good numbers but the stadium was eerily quiet for long spells. Got noisy after the goals though!

The ref – poor and unsurprisingly so.

Jamie is not chicken hearted, John, he's Australian. 😥

Thank God he doesn't play cricket.

[Jonnyboy]

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Jamie is not chicken hearted, John, he's Australian. 😥

Thank God he doesn't play cricket.

[RyeSloan]

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I thought Hanlon was motm.

I don't remember him making a mistake all day, helped the attack in both halves of the game and put the game to bed with a great goal.

I thought that Scott Allan was another candidate though. It was a great set piece delivery for the second goal, and he carved the Thistle defence open with another couple. He's often the difference for us in the final third.

Hanlon somehow seemed to fall over the ball at a rather heart stopping moment in the second half but apart from that was class. For a centre half he is starting to be a bit of a threat when he takes it on himself to start playing wing back

Not sure why Whittaker didn’t start...the formation that took the pitch was always going to concede the midfield.

Anyway a good end to a poor match and three points in the bag. You gotta have a few of these types of days where you take the win and move confidently on.

[Borderhibbie76]

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Great report as always

Have to say I was surprised that McGregor got MOTM as I felt he was off his game a bit in the first half. For me it was Stevenson or Hanlon who deserved it.

We all said at the game it was Lewy or Hanlon....efe was good but couple of switch offs 2nd half which could have cost us

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