23rd September 2017 Partick Thistle v Hearts 1-1

Late September and my first game this season outside an EH postcode. Craig had phoned me to say he was going with Harper (my grandson) and would let me know if he had space in the car. He phoned again last night to say car was full. I decided to get train through and caught 13.00 from Haymarket. The kick-off had been put back till 16.00 due to the Rangers v Celtic match being played earlier in the day. On way through I thought about previous trips to Firhill. My favourite was in 1974 when during the power crisis Malcolm (not the same one I have been to games with this season) and  I went through for a Scottish Cup replay. This Malcolm now stays in Houston Texas but in 1974 I met him outside his work before that game at Meadowbank at lunchtime. I was due to have been at day-release but Hearts were more important. Malcolm drove through and Hearts won 4-1 with the help of a hat-trick from Donald Ford. 

When train arrived in Glasgow there were a lot of soured-faced people wearing blue scarfs following Celtic beating Rangers 2-0 in the lunchtime kick-off. I walked from Queen Street to catch subway to St George's Cross then a short walk up Maryhill Road in plenty of time for 16.00 kick-off. Craig phoned me and I met met him, Harper, and his pals outside the ground but as they were in a different section from me we had to separate. In the ground I met Pete and we had a good chat about football. The cost of going to games is getting out of hand especially for Pete who takes his two children. Today was £22 for an adult ticket as opposed to £12 at Edinburgh City.

Hearts lined up with a 5-3-1-1 formation which I am not keen on. Last week they had fielded two strikers at Hamilton but with Kyle Lafferty injured Isma was alone up front. The first half from a Hearts point of view was awful with Hearts tactics appearing to be to punt the ball up to Isma and for him to lay it off to oncoming players from midfield. I don’t often agree with Michael Stewart on Sportscene but he was right that this was not working. Isma had three defenders on him and midfield was not getting forward. to help him. I don’t think Isma is suitable as a lone striker as he likes to drift around up front and does his best work with the ball at his feet running forward rather than with his back to goal.

In the first half Hearts struggled to gain control of the game. Hearts had an early dance when Michael Smith had a low drive pushed away by the Thistle keeper but thereafter Thistle were on top and in 18 minutes Blair Spittal cut inside Rafael Grzelak and ran towards the box as the Hearts defence seemed to move away from him. From outside the penalty box he fired in a low shot which appeared to have been mishit. The ball seemed an easy save for Jon McLaughlin but he allowed it through his legs and into the net to give Thistle the lead. A lot of fans criticised Jack Hamilton in the Hearts goal but I cannot remember him letting one through his legs.Thistle continued to make chances and John Souttar was forced to head clear of the one from one of these. 

Hearts came out for the second half looking more determined and pressed Thistle back but were still unable to make any clear chances with a number of shots going past the post. David Milinkovic related Smith after 73 minutes as Hearts reverted to 4-4-2. I could not understand why Smith was replaced with Aaron Hughes moving to full-back. Hughes is a good player,, as his record shows but does not have the pace to play at full-back. After 80 minutes Milinkovic whipped in a cross after a short corner and Ross Callachan glanced the ball goal-wards. From where I was sitting it was impossible to tell if the ball crossed the line before being cleared but thankfully the referee awarded the goal. This was Callachan’s second goal in three games and maybe, at last, Hearts have a box to box midfielder in the Paul Hartley mould. Thistle had a coulee of late chances but Hearts held on for a draw.

After the game it was a walk down Maryhill Road to the subway at St George Cross then the 6.30 train back to Edinburgh from Queen Street.

Teams

Partick Thistle: Scully, Turnbull, Keown, Spittal, Doolan, Barton, Elliott, Devine, McGinn, Edwards, Storey. 

Subs: Nitriansly, Brannigan, Nisbet.

Hearts: McLaughlin, M. Smith, Souttar, Berra, Hughes, Grzelak, Cowie, Randall, Callachan, Walker, Isma. 

Subs: Smith-Brown, Milinkovic, Currie.