ARCHIE’S GOT TOP 6APPEAL
Thistle grab first point at Parkhead in 23 years after Ade cracks stunning leveller
OUTSIDE of Brendan Rodgers, Alan Archibald has been building a strong case in the Manager of the Year category.
Last night at Celtic Park the Partick Thistle boss enhanced his reputation further and savoured another high point in a terrific season.
Scott Sinclair scored his 22nd goal of the season for the champions to ensure Rodgers and his team extended their fantastic unbeaten domestic run this term to an outstanding 38 games.
No one can deny the Hoops boss and his team have scaled the heights this term. But now Thistle are on the verge of scaling their own peaks under Archibald.
Hitman Ade Azeez’s equaliser and keeper Tomas Cerny’s superb penalty save from Sinclair just two minutes later during an exciting second period ensured Thistle took their first league point at Parkhead since May 1994.
And in denying Celtic victory for just a third time in the Premiership this term, the first Parkhead point in 23 years for the Jags also moved them to the brink of the top six for the first time.
Four points clear with two games to go, Thistle are close – very close.
Archibald has worked wonders again this term and although the champions made sweeping changes to their line-up and also dominated for long spells, few who saw the game would have begrudged the underdogs their draw.
It was a game that took a while to catch fire but when it did, it was worth watching.
After the highs of title glory it was understandable the first half might be low key. Even more so as Rodgers had ripped his team apart after the titleclinching triumph at Tynecastle four days previously at the beginning of the rest-up campaign.
Scott Brown, Dedryck Boyata and James Forrest got the night off, while Kieran Tierney and Stuart Armstrong moved to the bench.
Emilio Izaguirre, Erik Sviatchenko, Cristian Gamboa, Nir Bitton and Kouassi Eboue started and there was a welcome return after four months out for Tom Rogic when he found a spot with the subs.
Eboue, the 19-year-old from the Ivory Coast, was naturally of most interest for the home fans making a first start since his January move from Krasnodar after a couple of outings from the bench against Dundee and St Mirren.
Robbed inside 10 seconds and making a stray pass moments later were his opening two contributions and brought a few gasps. But it was only a nervous blip. The African soon settled into his task as did the rest of his team.
The stand-ins were all having an initial input of some sort. Gamboa had a header knocked clear and Bitton headed over a free-kick from Izaguirre.
Sinclair also had a shot blocked in the box as the champions made a positive start.
Archibald had done the same as Rodgers. Five changes from the team that beat Ross County last Saturday, with attackers Chris Erskine, Kris Doolan and Steven Lawless notably moved back to the bench.
Thistle had to sacrifice some adventure to keep the home side at arm’s length and although they were unable to produce anything of substance in Celtic territory inside the opening half hour as the home team dominated the ball, it was also notable that keeper Tomas Cerny was not asked to make a single save throughout that section of the contest.
Eboue marked the one-third point of the match with an ambitious and wayward crack from 25 yards which sailed high over the top.
But it was as if 30 minutes was a trigger point for Thistle.
From nothing they built a meaningful move which resulted in Callum Booth delivering a cracking cross from the left.
Azeez was on to it on the six-yard line but the presence of Jozo Simunovic did just enough to put him off and the attacker’s effort flew over.
Nevertheless, the nature of the threat and size of the opportunity was a jolt for Rodgers’s team and a warning more was required.
As tends to happen with Celtic when asked a question this term, the response is typically swift and Cerny was soon scrambling low to his right to save a curling shot from Patrick Roberts before Callum McGregor stepped infield from the right to rifle a left-foot shot over.
Cerny denied Bitton’s swerving effort but it was the heroic block of a Roberts shot inside the box from Jags centre-back Daniel Devine to keep the effort out after Sinclair had wriggled into box just seconds from the break which typified a scoreless first period.
Thistle kid Andrew McCarthy impressed on his first start and when he won a free-kick from Eboue just after the restart, Booth forced Craig Gordon into a first stop of the contest with his
effort. Yet virtually immediately, Celtic went up the park and scored.
Roberts made a couple for Sinclair on title day and did it again with a clever reverse pass to find his partner’s thrusting run.
Sinclair is in the type of form which meant missing wasn’t an option and he clipped a finish past Cerny.
Instantly, Plan B was put into operation by Archibald and Doolan entered the fray. But Celtic had their tails up with Gamboa and McGregor then going close.
And the Thistle gaffer’s heart must have sunk when Rodgers signalled for Armstrong and Rogic to get stripped.
But no one had told his team this was over and they hit back with a 63rd-minute leveller.
Christie Elliott roared past Sviatchenko with ease down the right flank and delivered a cross which Azeez met at the front post to divert past Gordon.
Now it was game on and Cerny’s subsequent penalty save from Sinclair just heightened Thistle belief.
Referee Greg Aitken pointed to the spot after Booth nailed Gamboa as the Costa Rican was cutting a ball into the box.
Sinclair’s strike from 12 yards was decent enough but Cerny sprang to his right to push it past a post.
The Jags could sense something. If Adam Barton put more authority on to his far-post header from a Booth cross, they could have led.
Erskine was pitched into the contest and immediately put Azeez clear.
Simunovic had to make a desperate covering tackle to deny him a clear one-on-one strike at Gordon. It was the last clear sighter as it ended all square
CELTIC – Gordon 6, Gamboa 7, Lustig 7, Simunovic 6, Sviatchenko 6, Izaguirre 7 (Armstrong 61, 4), McGregor 6 (Aitchison 77, 3), Bitton 6, Kouassi 7 (Rogic 61, 4), Roberts 7, Sinclair 8. Not used: Bailly, Toure, Henderson, Tierney.
PARTICK TH – Cerny 7, Keown 7, Lindsay 8, Devine 7, Booth 6, Elliott 7, McCarthy 7 (Erskine 72, 3), Barton 7, Edwards 6, Amoo 5 (Amoo 54, 4), Azeez 7. Not used: Ridgers, Dumbuya, Lawless, McLaughlin, Nisbet.
Referee: G Aitken.