2018-01-23: Partick Thistle 1-2 Celtic, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2017 – 2018 | 2017-18 Pictures

Trivia

• First league game of new year.
  
• Celtic drew Partick for next round in the Scottish Cup.
• In the spirit of looking for positives the win over Partick was the first “come back from losing” success of the season. Celtic had previously salvaged 3 draws from losing positions.
• It wasn't the most inspiring of games; Griffiths changed the game when he came on.
  
• Former footballer of the year, George Weah, has become the President of Liberia! Played for Chelsea & Man City previously. Interesting experiment.
  
• Visual assisted referees in place in England now at various matches. Beginning of a revolution? In England the pilot scheme has just begun with the first VAR goal having been awarded to Leicester City last week. In trial form in 15 leagues, but at a meeting in Zurich of the International Football Association Board there’s expected to be a recommendation that video replays should be used at this summer’s World Cup and, as of next season, everywhere.
  Transfer Window:
• No Dembele starting, started the usual murmers. Rodgers said as he has been affected by transfer rumours etc. It's been going on for weeks.
• Rodgers says will bring in others if Dembele leaves.
  

Review

(Owenbhoy of KDS)
Poor game on a very bobbly pitch didn't make it very good for us.
My issue is that the keeping possession and passing about is all well and good.
But we are too pedestrian and need to up the tempo to get their players moving and create more space.
Last night though it was about trying to control the ball first before it bobbled away.

Controlled the game for the most part, but looked far more threatening second half with Griff.
Lustig looked as if he was still in Dubai, although still not sure it was a penalty from where I was sitting at the far end.
That didn't stop me seeing that ours was a stonewaller though.
Should have scored more but for their keeper playing very well.

We won though, but listening to Brendan afterwards made me think that signings are imminent, and ones to improve the first team not just fillers or projects.

Next two games will be tougher ones than last night, but played on a better pitch, if we can keep the tempo up we should win them.

Brown had a really good game, Ntcham seemed to be everywhere with everything mostly going through him.
Edouard needs a bit more composure, Sinclair came into it towards the end of the first half and into the second.
Forrest had some great runs, and McGregor tried to keep things simple.
Still desperately need Rogic and Roberts back for some creative play.

(behan of KDS)
Lustig, Ajer, McGregor, Edouard were all piss poor.

Ntcham did well, and Griffiths changed the game. Forrest came on to a decent second half too.

The team is absolutely crying out for new blood. I really don't see it with Ajer, but if we're going to play him, we need to play him with an experienced centre back with a calm head that can talk him through the game. Boyata is not that man.

In midfield, McGregor has been really poor for a long time now. He offers very, very little but I don't know who we play here with Rogic and Armstrong injured. The only thing I can think of is maybe Johnston on the left with Sinclair off the striker.

Teams

Partick Thistle

Substitutes

• 3Booth
• 9Doolan
• 10Erskine
• 12Scully
• 13Barton
• 16McGinn
• 17Nitriansky

Goals

• Sammon (34' minutes pen)

Celtic

Goals

• Sinclair (55' minutes pen),
Griffiths (70' minutes)

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11055152/
• Match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11055586/
• Post Match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11055590/

MOTM

• Voting Thread http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11055591/
• Result Thread
• Winner –

Stats

Partick Thistle

Celtic

Possession
Home34%
Away66%
Shots
Home7
Away28
Shots on Target
Home3
Away10
Corners
Home3
Away7
Fouls
Home9
Away5

Articles

Celtic turn to Griffiths for inspiration

Partick Thistle 1-2 Celtic

By Ronnie Esplin January 24 2018

Leigh Griffiths came off the bench to spark Celtic into life as the Hoops came back from a goal down to beat Partick Thistle 2-1.

Former Derry City striker Conor Sammon, on loan from Hearts, gave the home side the lead from the spot in the 34th minute after defender Mikael Lustig had conceded the penalty.
Griffiths, fit again after an ankle knock, replaced the Swede for the start of the second-half and made all the difference.
Winger Scott Sinclair won and converted a penalty 10 minutes after the break before Griffiths scored the winner from close range in the 70th minute to take Brendan Rodgers' side 11 points clear of Aberdeen at the top of the table.
Ulsterman Rodgers kept the same side from the weekend's 5-0 Scottish Cup win over Brechin City with returning Griffiths joining French striker Moussa Dembele, whom the Hoops manager admitted had been affected by speculation regarding his future, on the bench.
Baily Cargill, 22, who completed a loan move from Bournemouth until the end of the season, made his debut in the Thistle defence with right-back Mustapha Dumbuya starting his first competitive game for the Jags since April after recovering from a knee injury.
There was a sense of shock when the Maryhill men took the lead.
Lustig made a mess of an attempted clearance and when Miles Storey went past him and into the box he was impeded by the full-back, according to referee John Beaton who pointed to the spot, and Sammon sent Craig Gordon the wrong way with his spot-kick.
Griffiths' introduction brought an immediate increase in tempo.
The leveller was coming and it arrived when Dumbuya felled Sinclair inside the box for a much more obvious Celtic penalty award by Beaton and the winger picked himself up and slotted in the spot-kick.
Then Griffiths took a Scott Brown pass and dismissed Jags substitute Adam Barton, before poking the ball past Thistle keeper Tomas Cerny and over the line to seal the points.
PARTICK: Cerny, Dumbuya, Keown, Cargill, Penrice, Osman, Edwards, Spittal (Barton 56), McCarthy, Storey (Erskine 77), Sammon (Doolan 71)
Subs: Booth, Scully, McGinn, Nitriansky
Scorer: Sammon (34, pen)
CELTIC: Gordon, Lustig (Griffiths 45), Ajer, Boyata, Tierney, Brown, Ntcham, Forrest, McGregor, Sinclair (Simunovic 77), Edouard (Bitton 84)
Subs: Dembele, De Vries, Johnston, Kouassi
Scorers: Sinclair (55 pen), Griffiths (70)
Referee: John Beaton
Belfast Telegraph

BT Site

BBC
Half-time substitute Leigh Griffiths preserved Celtic's 23-year unbeaten run against Partick Thistle to send the champions 11 points clear at the top.
The hosts deservedly led 1-0 at half-time after Mikael Lustig mis-timed a clearance and tugged back Miles Storey, Conor Sammon tucking home the penalty.
Scott Sinclair equalised from the spot after Mustapha Dumbuya felled him.

Both sides had further chances before Griffiths brushed off Adam Barton's challenge to flick home the winner.
New Thistle signing Baily Cargill, on loan from Bournemouth, missed a late chance to equalise when he headed wide from 10 yards.
Thistle, who have not beaten Celtic now in 26 meetings dating back to 1995, remain in 11th place, three points above bottom side Ross County, who travel to Motherwell on Wednesday.
A tactical switch and the introduction of Griffiths ultimately won what was a fabulous contest.
Celtic were thoroughly tested by Alan Archibald's side but Brendan Rodgers' team delivered in style in the end.
The visitors began firmly on the front foot with Odsonne Edouard wasting a good chance and Olivier Ntcham firing narrowly wide from 25 yards.
It appeared a question of simply when Celtic would open the scoring at that stage but Thistle had a game plan to close Celtic down quickly and were rewarded for executing it well in the first half.
Their high-energy approach began to unsettle Celtic's defenders. Lustig was first to buckle under pressure but was rescued by Kristoffer Ajer's alertness.
Storey tested Craig Gordon with a curling effort after another Lustig error but he pounced on a further Lustig lapse with alacrity.
The Swedish defender mis-kicked on the edge of the box, Storey broke clear and was clearly tugged.
Credit to the striker for trying to stay on his feet, but referee John Beaton recognised the foul and awarded the penalty, which Sammon stroked home confidently for his fourth goal in three games.
Rodgers withdrew Lustig at half-time and sent on Griffiths, bringing a change in shape to a back three with two up front.
The restructure worked perfectly and the champions instantly looked sharper and more threatening, and began to swarm forward.
Edouard saw a low shot well saved. Griffiths ran clear but Cerny denied him superbly, racing from his line to block.
The pressure told when Dumbuya, in his first start since April, appeared slightly out of position and caught Sinclair with the winger dispatching the resultant penalty.
James Forrest, Callum McGregor and Kieran Tierney all came close to scoring but it fell to Griffiths to settle matters.
He collected Scott Brown's cutback and danced towards the by-line past Barton's challenge, showing great composure to dink a left-foot shot past Cerny.
It was a crushing blow for the home side, who put so much into the match but ultimately couldn't sustain their performance.
They did have two late chances with the impressive James Penrice and debutant Cargill both going close.
For Celtic, a genuine examination which they answered emphatically in the second half to move 11 points clear of Aberdeen, who travel to face Rangers on Wednesday.

Post-match reaction:

Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald: "I thought we were a bit tentative in the first 15 minutes, but the belief grew and the more they won the ball back and created a couple of opportunities, we saw a different side.
"There were positives to take, but the overriding emotion is disappointment because we have taken nothing from the game.
"By the law, I think it should have been a sending-off [when Lustig brought Storey down for Thistle's penalty]. That's a bit disappointing because it might have been a different outcome.
"It allowed them to change their shape in the second half and Leigh Griffiths came on and changed the game."
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "It was a good test. Not too many times in domestic football do we go behind.
"There is an expectancy that Celtic are going to win four or five-nil every week, but teams are well organised and they are going to make it difficult for us.
"In the first half we could have had at least two goals but we didn't take our chances and they had something to hang on to with the penalty. But our reaction was very good and it showed the spirit and quality in the team.
"I will be very disappointed if we don't [sign one or two more players this month]. But the people behind the scenes are working very hard.
"We need players of quality if we are going to do anything in European football, and not just domestically. So we have to take time to find the right ones."