Young Jag Liam learns hard way
Frans confident red card won’t affect Lindsay
IF any grizzled ex-pro is finally willing to commit the dark arts of the game to print, rest assured they have at least one guaranteed sale in the s hape of Partick boss Alan Archibald.
With half an hour gone against Kilmarnock, he was entitled to feel his side had dominated the contest like possibly no other during his two-anda-half years in charge.
They may have been a goal to the good courtesy of the first of Kris Doolan’s clinical contributions but a corner count which, at that point, stood at 7-0 in their favour was a more accurate depiction of the flow of traffic.
What then occurred was something Archibald later described as poor ‘game management’. Liam Lindsay, his teenage central defender, did the hard part by curtailing a rare Killie counter attack with a strategic foul as he tracked back.
However, in failing to then stand close to the ball and prevent a quick free-kick being taken, the 19-year-old cost his side dear.
Ex-Jag Kallum Higginbotham hit a speculative ball over the top and Rory McKenzie took full advantage of dozy defending to equalise.
For the second time in four days, Gary Locke’s men had weathered the most brutal of storms to claim parity at the interval.
Lindsay looks a promising defender but his apprenticeship is far from complete.
He struggled to cope with the physical contest offered by Josh Magennis thereafter and received a straight red on 65 minutes f or tangling with Mark O’Hara after dawdling on the ball.
If a point seemed a decent return at that stage for Archi bal d, Doolan’s second with 12 minutes left briefly allowed Thistle to dream of their first win of the campaign — only for Kri s Boyd’s leveller from the bench on 8 5 minutes to ensure honours ended even.
Three draws from four games is a fairly decent start for the Jags but, having finished a man light in two of those, the feeling is they ought to have more points on the board.
Lindsay is now suspended for the daunting trip to Tynecastle next Saturday — giving him time to reflect.
For his defensive partner Frederic Frans, it’s important the teenager quickly learns from his errors, with an appreciation they are merely blots on an otherwise impressive copybook.
‘It’s hard for Liam but he played a brilliant game before the red card,’ said the Belgian, who was sent off against Hamilton on day one.
‘I can’t blame the boy. He had to make the foul or it would have been one-on-one. He’ll come back better for it — he has to take the positives because he was outstanding.
‘It’s hard when you get sent off. Mine was harsh but you still feel terrible in the dressing room.
‘We will help pick him up and he’ll be fine. You could see he was very strong but he can play the ball as well and he is left footed, which is a rarity for a centre half.’
Lindsay was just one of a plethora of Thistle players who could have put their side out of sight before Killie rallied.
Doolan was the only man to do the necessary in that initial onslaught, taking advantage of Lee Ashcroft’s indecision on nine minutes and finishing low past Jamie MacDonald.
McKenzie’s leveller was equally impressive and, having been as timid as they were against Celtic for the opening 30 minutes, only the width of the post prevented Magennis giving the visitors an interval lead they scarcely deserved.
The returning Higginbotham gladly slipped into the role as panto villain, his initial warm reception f rom Jags f ans long forgotten by the time he careered into Callum Booth at t he risk of a second booking.
Gar y Fraser climbed off the bench and s ma shed the underside of the bar as 10- man Thistle went for broke but it was his subsequent delivery from the left that allowed Doolan — standing suspiciously offside — to claim his second and send home fans into raptures.
Boyd’s header from Higginbotham’s cross, the striker’s first of his third spell at Killie, curtailed those celebrations and by full-time neither boss knew whether to laugh or cry.
Locke will naturally be relieved his team’s efforts for 25 minutes against 10 men hadn’t counted for nothing. Yet if Killie keep taking half an hour to get going, they’ll do well to garner the successive points picked up against Celtic and Thistle.
‘We were really poor in the first half hour,’ MacDonald admitted. ‘But the one thing we can take from the game — and from the Celtic match — is our spirit. We’re giving teams goals of a start in the first few minutes but getting something from the games.’
What a comfort the sight of Boyd getting back in the old routine must be. By his standards, a return of just 10 goals in the Championship with Rangers last season was wretched. Fears that the old l egs might creaking a shade appear to be wide of the mark.
‘Kris has been putting goals away in pre - s e ason and t r ai ni ng, ’ said MacDonald. ‘ When I played against him I used to think: “Oh no, Kris Boyd.”
‘He’s the all-time top scorer in SPL history, so that speaks for itself.’