Thistle enjoy taking Port’s measure
Cheers as Jags record a welcome win over rivals
Alan Paterson heaped praise on his defence as East Kilbride Thistle sank Port Glasgow to record their first league win in 10 weeks.
Matt Gray’s second half strike was enough to earn the points, but it was his side’s defensive display that pleased Paterson most as Jags claimed the bragging rights at the Showpark.
There have been fiery affairs between these two before with Paterson being sent off at Parklea Stadium last season.
But the Jags boss and his players kept their cool to win for the first time in the league since beating Royal Albert 1-0 on September 8.
And Paterson was delighted with their approach to Saturday’s contest as stand-in goalkeeper Chris Treacy and the back three kept the West One title hopefuls at bay.
He said: “Port Glasgow were second in the table before we played them, so this a big result for us.
“The back three and my goalkeeper were excellent. They dealt with everything that was thrown at them.
“We were really strong in the tackle and showed great energy all over the park.
“Barry Russell made a tackle early on where he’s gone in hard but fair. He won the ball, but at the same time he was letting the Port player know he was there and that set the tone.
“Matt Gray and Liam Barclay were strong in the tackle as well and Matt won a lot in the air. We got right on top of them early on.
“Port Glasgow are a team who can intimidate you and try to get in your head, but we won the battle this time.
“There’s no love lost between the sides, so knowing you’ve beaten them and you can have a wee smile at the end of it all is really pleasing.”
It might have been more comfortable for the Jags if not for the performance of the Port Glasgow keeper, who twice denied Craig Tocher from adding to last week’s hat-trick against Kello Rovers.
Scott Hadden also had a shot heading towards the top corner before it was superbly saved.
However, Thistle got the breakthrough in 54 minutes when Hadden’s corner to the back post found Gray and he poked the ball into the net from close range.
Paterson added: “Their keeper made some great saves and but for him we’d have scored a couple more.
“Dougie Ryan and Tocher up top were really good again and Tocher’s pace caused them a lot of problems.
“It’s just good to get the win. If we show the same hunger, desire and togetherness we’ll start climbing that table.
“We need a bit of consistency now and it looks as though we’ve got a bit of strength in depth in the squad.”
Thistle now head to Yoker this weekend looking to build on an important victory.
They will welcome back Ross Smith from injury this week and Callum McLean is back in the squad after a three-week holiday, so it’s a boost for Paterson ahead of a crucial spell of games.
After Yoker, Thistle will end 2018 by playing four of their next five matches at home.
Lugar, Ardrossan, Maybole and Royal Albert will all visit, with a trip to Shotts sandwiched in between.
And Paterson said: “There’s going to be a lot of competition for places, which is great.
“It’s good going into a really busy period for us.
“We beat Yoker 2-1 at the start of the season and I was really impressed with them, so I’m surprised to see them where they are in the table (12th). It would be good to go there and get a result to start building some momentum.”
Kick-off on Saturday at Holm Park is 1.45pm.