Falkirk 2 - 0 Partick Thistle: Falkirk keep promotion dream alive

Published on Tuesday 19 April 2011 18:20

Falkirk 2 McManus (45), Stewart (90) Partick Thistle 0

HE MAY be a man under pressure from disgruntled supporters for everything from his brogues to his tactics and pitchside antics, but Steven Pressley still managed to keep alive Falkirk's faint dream of a return to the SPL following this victory.

The Bairns need favours - most notably in this weekend's Fife derby between league leaders Dunfermline and second-placed Raith Rovers - but they are clearly unwilling to give up on their promotion hopes.

This win, in the third match between the sides in ten days, takes them to within five points of Rovers and six of the Pars, and belied the fans' unhappiness.

The extra supporters chairman Martin Ritchie implored to turn out to help the club's parlous financial state failed to show, with around 300 fewer than the first match between the teams, but Tam McManus's strike in first-half injury time and Mark Stewart's lobbed second at the death sent home happy those who did attend.

Thistle, who played the last 15 minutes with ten men after David Rowson saw red for two bookings, struck the woodwork in the eighth minute, goalkeeper Robert Olejnik just touching to safety a glancing header by Conrad Balatoni from Paddy Boyle's free kick.

However, Falkirk worked their way into the game and Thistle had keeper Scott Fox to thank for retaining parity in the 32nd minute, with the double parry of a shot from McManus and Ryan Flynn's rebound.

Fox again denied Flynn in injury-time, but there was nothing he could do moments later with McManus scoring from six yards.Partick came within a whisker of an equaliser seven minutes after the restart but Paul Cairney's curling free kick from the edge of the area crashed back off the post with Olejnik well beaten. Kris Doolan was then guilty of a miss from barely four yards after great build-up work from Jamie Campbell as Thistle upped the ante, but Stewart brought relief when he lobbed in on the break.

Falkirk: Olejnik, Duffie, Scobbie, Murdoch, McLean, Flynn, Alston, Millar, Stewart, McManus, Higginbotham. Subs: Barclay, Perry, Mitchell, Jay Fulton, Kingsley.

Partick Thistle: Fox, Kinniburgh, Balatoni, Archibald, Boyle, Cairney, Campbell, Rowson, Grehan, Doolan, Erskine. Subs: Scully, McGrotty, McGeough, Fraser, Stewart.

Referee: M Northcroft.

Attendance: 3,439.