United manager Mcnamara glad to get return to firhill ‘out of the road’
FIRHILL proved disappointingly short on thrills as the Scottish Professional Football League era got off to an underwhelming start under the Friday night lights.
Neither Partick Thistle or Dundee United will be too dissatisfied at putting their first Premiership point on the board but this goalless stalemate was a sharp reminder that it will take more than new branding to improve the quality of football in Scotland’s top flight.
United manager Jackie McNamara, whose return to his former club had dominated much of the pre-match build-up, will certainly be seeking improvement from his new-look side in the coming weeks and months. For Thistle boss Alan Archibald, every point is a prisoner in his quest for survival and he could have no complaints about the commitment of his men last night.
As expected, there was a hostile reception in wait for McNamara from the home fans. He was loudly jeered as he made his way to the technical area, just as SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster and Thistle chairman David Beattie were performing the ceremonial unfurling of last season’s First Division championship flag.
McNamara had played a significant role in setting Thistle on their way back to the top flight before his rancorous departure to United in January and there was at least a cursory handshake between him and Beattie when their paths crossed just before kick-off. There was an element of caution to McNamara’s line-up, perhaps in anticipation of the frenetic start Thistle would make to the club’s first top-flight fixture for nine years, as Gary Mackay-Steven and Brian Graham both had to settle for places among the substitutes.
But although Thistle enjoyed plenty of possession and territorial advantage as they adopted a high pressing game to try and put United on the back foot, it was United who had the first glimpse of goal.
Ryan Gauld showed good footwork as he foraged into space on the left and the teenager’s cross took a deflection off central defender Aaron Muirhead, forcing Thistle goalkeeper Scott Fox to scramble desperately to claw the ball away from underneath his crossbar.
Thistle’s response was to force four corner kicks in immediate succession, their on-loan Bolton midfielder Gary Fraser whipping them in with pace and precision which troubled the United defence.
There were loud appeals for a penalty from Thistle when Muirhead looked to be tugged down in the area but referee Craig Thomson was unmoved.
United carried an obvious threat on the counter attack and Fox made a fine double save in the 17th minute, first plunging to his right to keep out David Goodwillie’s header from a Keith Watson cross, then stretching to touch over a 20-yard shot from former Thistle man Paul Paton.
Andrew Robertson, one of five summer signings in the United starting line-up, caught the eye with his powerful and intelligent surges forward from left-back. The 19-year-old, snapped up from Queen’s Park, stretched the Thistle defence with a terrific interception and advance in the 25th minute. He fed the ball inside to Goodwillie but the striker’s low shot did not concern Fox as it trundled wide.
United were less than convincing in dealing with high balls into their penalty area and Thistle striker Kris Doolan might have done better on a couple of occasions, first failing to connect with a Stuart Bannigan cross from the left and then nodding wide from Aaron TaylorSinclair’s excellent delivery.
James Craigen, who had the Thistle fans on their feet with a 25-yard shot narrowly wide of Radoslaw Cierzniak’s left-hand post, earned the dubious distinction of picking up the first yellow card of the SPFL era when he was cautioned for a crude challenge on Gauld.
Robertson posed more questions of the Thistle defence with another burst down the left, this time picking out Goodwillie at the far post with his cross but the on-loan Blackburn man was unable to connect cleanly with what appeared a premium opportunity.
Cierzniak had to show outstanding reactions at the other end to prevent Thistle taking the lead just before the interval. The big Pole adjusted his feet smartly to spare his own defender Calum Butcher from an own goal as he miscued his attempt to clear a TaylorSinclair cross.
United made a change at the start of the second half, the largely ineffective Nadir Ciftci replaced by Mackay-Steven as they sought to bring more energy and imagination to their attacking work.
They were first to threaten after the resumption, Goodwillie working his way into the penalty area on the right and forcing Fox into a decent save at the expense of a corner. It was Thistle, however, who maintained a territorial edge and Cierzniak had to look lively once more to fist a stinging drive from Doolan over the crossbar.
As frantic as it was, the game had generally been contested in a good spirit. However, tempers flared midway through the second half when Butcher fouled Fraser with a lunging challenge which the home side felt was two-footed and reckless. Players from both sides squared up to each other angrily and when order was restored, referee Thomson issued cautions to both Butcher and Fraser.
John Baird replaced Doolan up front for Thistle for the closing stages and almost made an immediate impact, his close-range header brilliantly kept out by Cierzniak.
United further freshened up their attacking options with the introduction of Graham and the close season recruit from Raith Rovers came close to opening his account with a snapshot well saved by Fox. Partick Thistle: Fox, O’Donnell, Muirhead, Balatoni, Taylor-Sinclair; Lawless, Fraser (Forbes 84), Welsh, Bannigan, Craigen (Elliott 64); Doolan (Baird 73). Subs not used: Gallacher, Kerr, Osbourne, Mukendi. Dundee United: Cierzniak, Watson, Dillon, Butcher, Robertson; Paton; Dow (Graham 72), Armstrong, Gauld (Erskine 63); Ciftci (Mackay-Steven 46), Goodwillie. Subs not used: Rankin, Souttar, Gardyne, McCallum. JACKIE McNamara admitted he was relieved to finally put his muchanticipated return to Firhill behind him last night as his Dundee United side settled for a point in the Scottish Premiership opener against Partick Thistle.
Ever since the Canadian computer company who compile the Scottish football fixtures determined that McNamara would face his former club in the first game of the new season, there had been intense interest in how he would be received following his acrimonious move to United in January.
“I’m glad to get it out of the road,” said McNamara after a 0-0 draw during which he was subjected to sporadic rather than sustained abuse from the home support.
“There’s been a big build-up to it ever since the wee guy in Canada picked the fixture.
“I was delighted to come back here, regardless of all the stuff surrounding it. I was just disappointed not to get the three points.
“I felt fine walking through the front door and even walking to the dugout with the United fans in the stand behind it.
“Everything that I’ve done, I wouldn’t change anything. I’m delighted to be where I am and I want to try and be a success at United.”
McNamara felt his team had enough opportunities to take all three points and will look for them to sharpen up their work in the coming weeks.
“I think we created enough chances but needed to be more clinical,” he said. “We were a bit sloppy in the final third at times, with the weight of pass or decision making. Partick passed the ball well at times and caused us a few problems. It could have gone either way and on reflection it is probably a fair result.”
Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald was satisfied with a point on his club’s top flight return but unhappy that United defender Calum Butcher was not sent off for a twofooted challenge on Gary Fraser in the
“By the letter of the law, it was a red card,” insisted Archibald. “But I’ve made some of those tackles myself so I’m not going to moan about it.
“We had a grievance about it because it was probably a red card. James Craigen picked up a booking in the first half that was a nonsense – then they got away with that at the other end.”
McNamara disagreed with his former captain, saying: “There were two challenges on our players, on Ryan Dow and Paul Paton who were caught late, which were similar. It got a bit heated at that point, even on the benches. It infuriated me that it was similar but only Calum got penalised.”
Archibald took encouragement from his team’s display as he focuses on his sole aim of top-flight survival this season. “I’m not saying we’ll be comfortable in this league but we matched Dundee United tonight,” he said “That was a big test for us. But if we do our jobs, like we did tonight, we’ll be okay. That point will give us a lift for the rest of the season.”