Gaffer’s delight as returning hero Greg runs riot
Partick Th Crawford Gordon Devine Lindsay Booth Wilson Welsh Amoo Erskine Lawless Azeez Subs: Pogba 7, Edwards 5, Doolan 6.
QoS Robinson Hamill Marshall Dowie Higgins Anderson Tapping Millar Jacobs Hilson Lyle Subs: Dykes 5, Moxon 4, Rigg 3. 6 7 7 6 7 6 6 6 8 6 5 7 7 7 7 6 3 6 7 6 7 7 From wor l d ’ s mos t expensive player to Firhill supersub, a tale of very different family fortunes. Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho’s pursuit of Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba may yet see that nonsensical fee splashed out on a player who was once in the Old Trafford youth set-up. Mathias’ life in Maryhill is a world away from his younger brot her’s transfer saga but he was the man who made the difference here. With eight minutes left Alan Archibald’s side were on the rails until the big man rescued them, playing a key role in the goals from Chris Erskine and Steven Lawless that now make them favourites to win Group E. The Thistle boss, whose side had been rocked by Dale Hi lson’s opener for the Championship side two minutes after the break, said:
Paul Hartley marvelled at the “sublime” skills of hat-trick hero Greg Stewart – and admitted Dundee would NEVER be able to replace him.
Stewart stole the show with a vintage second-half display as Hartley’s men came from behind to beat Dumbarton and move second top of Group A.
The 26-year-old wasted no time in firing Dundee ahead with a free-kick in 16 minutes, only for Frazer Wright and Gregor Buchanan to hit back and turn
CHRIS ERSKINE found pockets of space to drive at Queens. Equalised.
ALAN MUIR flashed one yellow and handled game sensibly. 7/10 “Last year we didn’t recognise Pogba’s strengths or play to them, we wouldn’t put the ball in the box for him.
“Ziggy Gordon did it today and we got the winner from it and it was Pogba’s header in the lead up to the equaliser too.”
The Jags had fallen behind when veteran Queens hitman
Dundee .......................... 6 Dumbarton ................... 2 Euan McArthur
Derek Lyle –who almost scored against his former employers when his third-minute curler came back off the inside of the post – arrowed a treacherous ball across the face of goal.
Hilson piled in to profit and his goalward touch careered off the body of Gordon and beyond Crawford. But it was one for the dubious goals panel.
Distraught Dale, though, will know he should have clinched an away win when sub Steven Rigg’s touch broke to him inside
front in 73 minutes with a bullet header from Stewart’s free-kick.
Sizzling Stewart then made it 4-2 with an unstoppable high finish from sub Mark O’Hara’s cross.
The man of the match completed his treble in 80 minutes, tucking away Kevin Holt’s rolled pass before Hemmings’ assured finish late on made it 6-2.
Fans’ favourite Stewart is reported to be attracting the attention of Rangers, Aberdeen and Leeds as he enters the
the box and he smashed a volley off the post.
He paid the price eight minutes f rom time af ter Callum Booth’s cross found Pogba rising at the back post.
Robinson beat away the header but it sparked a scramble tha t saw Erskine coolly sweep home the equaliser.
Then Gordon’s far-post ball found Pogba again and the header floated back across goal for Lawless to blaze a volley into the roof of the net and set the place rocking.
In the first half Ade Azeez, a summe r captu re f rom Wimbledon, looked a potent threat but his wastefulness in front of goal would eventually see him hooked.
Archibald said: “Last year our goals-for column wasn’t good enough and we have to improve on that.”
final year of his contract at Dens Park.
And Hartley admits losing the former Cowdenbeath ace is unthinkable.
The boss said: “It shows what having Greg back means to us. His second-half performance was sublime.
“There’s going to be interest in him but we don’t want to sell. There’s no danger we could replace him.”
Sons boss Stevie Aitken, whose side are without a win in three group games, said: “The cup has come too early for us.”
we won’t be back too often.
“We were a bit stop-start in the first half but I knew the goals would come if we kept pressing and passing.”
It was the David McGurn show in the first half as the Cowden keeper produced a series of stunning stops.
But he was powerless to deny Dunfermline’s opener in 63 minutes when Geggan volleyed home a Kallum Higginbotham corner.
It was 2-0 six minutes later, Higginbotham again the provider as his free-kick was volleyed home by Ashcroft.
Geggan completed the win five minutes from time, driving home a low strike.
Dunfermline are a point behind group leaders Dundee United with a game in hand and host Inverness on Tuesday night.
Cowdenbeath boss Liam Fox, whose side are bottom of the group without a point, said: “We won’t play teams of this quality every week so it was a good workout.”