Clyde 0-1 Partick Thistle: Doolan makes instant impact

PARTICK Thistle substitute Kris Doolan took just five minutes to make a telling impact at Recreation Park yesterday, scoring the only goal of the game to give Jackie McNamara’s side a narrow first-round Ramsdens Cup win over Clyde.

With the game being played at the home of Alloa due to ongoing pitch work at Broadwood, Thistle had the better of a first half that was played at a pre-season tempo.

Chris Erskine opened up the Clyde defence after ten minutes when he exchanged passes with Steven Lawless, only to shoot weakly straight at Jamie Barclay.

Two minutes later Erskine then went close with a looping header that had the Clyde goalkeeper in all sorts of trouble before dropping over the bar, with Thistle having two more openings to open the scoring before the break.

Lawless curled a 20-yard free kick about a foot over after he had been sent crashing to the ground, with Stuart Bannigan being denied by Barclay’s legs after a lightning break.

Erskine threatened again just before the hour mark when he wriggled free on the left-hand side of the box and sent in a well-hit drive which Barclay had to stretch to turn the round the post. From the flag kick Sean Welsh had a free header, however he sent a tame effort straight at the Clyde shot-stopper.

Thistle full-back Stephen O’Donnell almost broke the deadlock with a fine solo effort after he dribbled past three players after collecting a cross-field pass from Alan Archibald, but his parting shot was hacked clear by David Marsh.

Doolan’s winner came when Barclay spilled a Bannigan effort from 25 yards and the striker was on to the ball in a flash and skipped around the goalkeeper to slot home from four yards out.

Doolan almost grabbed a second with a low curling shot five minutes from time, but Barclay denied him with a fingertip save.

Clyde almost snatched a late leveller when substitute Kevin Watt’s acrobatic overhead kick had to be well saved by the previously untroubled Scott Fox.

Clyde: Barclay, Brown (Graham 86), Sharp, Gray, Marsh, Hay, Oliver, Sweeney, Scullion, McColm (McCluskey 86), Fitzpatrick (Watt 38). Subs not used: McBeth, Rajovic.

Partick Thistle: Fox, O’Donnell, Bannigan, Paton, Muirhead, Archibald, Lawless, Welsh, Elliot (Doolan 68), Murray, Erskine (Craigen 83). Subs not used: McGuigan, Sinclair, Wightman.

Referee: Alan Muir. Attendance: 1,065.