RIDING OUT A LATE STORM
Ten-man Thistle rock Rangers and hold on for a point in thriller
REQUIRING an avalanche of goals to reach the Premiership summit, Rangers slipped and slid to lose more ground on the pacesetters.
After the promise of back-to-back victories against Ross County and Dundee, this was supposed to be the night when Pedro Caixinha’s men moved onwards and upwards.
For all his side had ten-men Partick penned into their own box in a frantic closing period, they rarely showed the panache and punch required to put the Maryhill men to bed.
Leading through Alfredo Morelos’ opportunist strike at the break, the little Columbian’s fifth in three outings, there was no indication of the ragged display that was to cost the Portuguese a third successive victory.
Blair Spittal’s free-kick and Chris Erskine’s strike spectacularly turned the game on its head before the latter saw red for a late lunge on Morelos.
Graham Dorrans did restore parity for the visitors but, having scored two late winners here last season, there was to be no late salvation for the Ibrox men this time.
But what a fine result and display this was from Alan Archibald’s men. A bonus point, if ever there was one.
Caixinha, predictably, largely stood by the same group which had scored seven goals in two games to build up a fair head of steam.
Niko Kranjcar’s name was not only omitted from the starting side but from the squad entirely, with Josh Windass the beneficiary.
Partick’s wholesale changes reflected a need to arrest a typically underwhelming start to the campaign.
Archibald retained just six of the side which at least put a point on the board at Dingwall last time out. Ryan Scully, Niall Keown, Erskine, Miles Storey and debutant Paul McGinn were each handed a chance to impress.
For the side now domiciled in the Energy Check Stadium at Firhill, the hope was that a change of name might bring a change of luck.
Caixinha was forced into an unscheduled change on 12 minutes. Skipper Lee Wallace didn’t seem to be in too much discomfort as he nursed a knock on the touchline but signalled that his evening was over. It meant a debut for on-loan Cardiff full-back Declan John.
One of the Welshman’s first surges forward inadvertently brought the opening goal on 19 minutes. Dispossessed by McGinn 25 yards out, the ball was immediately retrieved by Windass.
The winger did well to get his strike away only for Keown to manfully block. Ryan Jack claimed the loose ball and sensibly opted for a switch of play. Morelos, very much the man of the moment, had much work to do as he took the ball in his stride but arrowed it through a forest of legs and into the far corner of Scully’s net. Composed and clinical.
Thistle were certainly not short of fight. Edwards risked a booking in the closing minutes of the first half with a robust challenge which left Jack grounded and requiring treatment. Referee Willie Collum was content that there was nothing amiss.
If Archibald had looked for more aggression at the start of the second half then perhaps Keown had misunderstood. The defender fairly clattered into Kenny Miller in the opening seconds, giving Collum no option but to show the first yellow card of the night.
James Tavernier’s enterprise down the right might well have brought the killer second.
Daniel Candeias was the recipient of his smart cut-back yet miscued horribly to send the ball trickling wide.
He would rue that profligacy immediately.
Fabio Cardoso’s attempt at shackling the effervescent Storey on the edge of the box after 50 minutes was clumsy and gifted the Jags the kind of set-piece opportunity Archibald must have been praying for. Spittal took charge of proceedings, his right-foot shot taking a deflection off a poor defensive wall and past Wes Foderingham for the equaliser.
Eduardo Herrera was sent on to replace Miller but the traffic had briefly changed direction.
On the hour mark, a Thistle side which had twice conspired to surrender leads to Rangers here last season turned the tables. Edwards’ pass out wide to Spittal caught Rangers, who assumed an offside flag would follow. It was a bad mistake to make.
As the men in blue stood like
statues, Spittal fired the ball across goal. Erskine redirected it into the far corner.
Seven minutes later, though, the joy of the Partick captain would turn to angst.
Bulldozing his way through a succession of tackles, he over-reached with his boot outstretched when Morelos confronted him.
The red card that followed was inevitable as the Colombian writhed in agony.
Save a half-chance for Storey to make it 3-1, it became a game of attack versus defence. Doubtless sensing the growing unrest among the travelling fans, Dorrans stepped forward to provide leadership and inspiration just when his side needed it most.
Partick’s tiring limbs prevented them closing the midfielder down as he shaped to shoot 22 yards out with 13 minutes left.
What a sizzler of strike he produced. Scully could only watch it flash into the top right corner of his net.
Rangers had the time to snatch a winner but alas not the nous. Thistle may never know how they hung on to a fine point but somehow they managed it.