03/06/01 Parscelona 2 Sparta Jag 6

June 3rd 2001

Parscelona 2 Partick Thistle 6
Dalgety Bay Leisure Centre, Fife

Parscelona were dealt a double blow with Ali McLeod first pulling out injured minutes before kick-off (questions must be asked of the management, organising a training session the day before the game) and the horrifying news that Alex Mercer was to be referee for the first half.

Pars kicked of against the wind, which blew through Dalgety Bay from the west, and lined up in their recently preferred 4-5-1 formation against Sparta Jag's more conventional 4-4-2.

With kick-off delayed while Sparta tried to scrape together 11 players, only a minute passed before they were nearly down by a couple more, as two of their men collided and play was stopped while one unfortunate Jag lay on the ground nursing his nether regions.

Following some brief end-to-end activity, Partick went one up in the third minute. The ball was squared from the right wing for a striker to rush in on and net from close range.

Partick continued to have the majority of the play in front of goals and were denied by a combination of good goalkeeping from Pars' Keith Mackie and some off-target finishing. One move in particular strung together about ten passes only for the ball to be fired wide of the target.

As Partick rejigged to a back three, Pars managed to exert a little pressure and force a corner, from which Alan Maxwell had his first shot saved and sent the rebound wide.

It wasn't long before Partick were attacking again but were once more kept at bay by good goalkeeping and some desperate defending.

Pars again struggled their way back into it and won another corner after quarter of an hour played. Callum Norris stepped up to take it and swung it in toward goal. The ball was fumbled through the keeper's hands and went in off a defender. Callum claims a goal, but the masses have spoken. It's an own-goal.

Pars weren't equal for long however, after a Partick player skinned about four Pars players before slotting home to make it 2-1 three minutes later. It was very nearly 3-1 a minute later when Johnnie mistimed his header, but Keith Mackie again came to the rescue. Sadly his relief was short-lived as the resultant corner was thumped high into the Pars' net by their own defender, Chris Godden. OG again.

Both sides continued to pressurise although Partick had the most of the play. Only a string of excellent saves by Keith Mackie (probably already having been voted man of the match) kept the scoreline down. Called into action from shots, corners and defensive blunders, the adopted weegie held his neighbours at bay superbly.

With five minutes left of the first half, the Pars managed to claw one back. A through ball from Alan Maxwell to Neil Holland was blocked by the Partick keeper who was quick off his line, but the rebound fell only as far as Grant Davidson. He quickly fired the ball back goalwards. At this point a Partick defender leapt up and slapped the ball away with his hands and was promptly ordered off by Alex Mercer. The ball then dropped into the net anyway however, and after a bit of debate it was decided that the enthusiastic defender could stay on and Pars would just take the goal. Which I've credited to Grant Davidson. I believe Callum should be swearing right about now.

Into the second half, and some woeful finishing from Jamie Wilson, Alan Maxwell and a Partick attacker was eventually forgotten about with Partick grabbing their 4th goal with a low shot from ten yards.

A few more poor finishes later, Partick made it 5-2. Keith Mackie managed to push away a corner but the ball was headed back into the net from four yards.

Following a couple of near-misses from the visitors (a goal-line block by Grant Macleod and another shot hitting the post) Parscelona had another couple of efforts from Jamie Wilson and Alan Maxwell but again they amounted to nothing.

A Thistle striker latched onto a through ball to shoot under Keith and finish the game at 6-2. Pars tried to find a response but could only answer with a weak Chris Godden shot straight at the keeper.

Pars squad: E. Campbell, G. Davidson, N. Holland, S. Holland, J. MacDougall, G. Macleod, A. Maxwell, A. McLeod, Alasdair Mercer, Alex Mercer, C. Norris, C. Ozog, K. Rapley, S. Smyth, J. Wilson, K. Mackie, C. Godden