Thistle punished for opportunities squandered

Partick Thistle paid the price for not taking their chances as they went down to two defeats in the space of four days last week.
David Amoo says missed chances are costing Thistle this season (pic by Michael Gillen)David Amoo says missed chances are costing Thistle this season (pic by Michael Gillen)
David Amoo says missed chances are costing Thistle this season (pic by Michael Gillen)

Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Pittodrie followed a 1-0 defeat by St Johnstone at Firhill on Wednesday night.

Boss Alan Archibald (right) could take positives from both performances. But in the end Jags were undone by their failure to put the ball in the net when the opportunity arose.

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Against Aberdeen Adam Barton combined with Stevie Lawless before superbly picking out Christie Elliott racing into the Dons box, but the midfielder - eligible to play after Thistle appealed against his red card in the St Johnstone match - made a poor connection and his effort trundled tamely through to Joe Lewis.

At the other end Ash Taylor should have done better than head wide from eight yards and Kenny McLean was just off target from a more difficult position after doing well to get on the end of a Hayes cross.

After the break Ryan Edwards should have put Thistle ahead when he got on the end of Elliott’s cross at the back post just a few yards out, but headed wide.

And with just 18 minutes left Aberdeen made the breakthrough as Jayden Stockley muscled past his marker to head home Niall McGinn’s corner from inside the six-yard box.

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Ade Azeez had a glorious chance to level when he got beyond the Dons defence and in on goal but his shot struck the outside of the post.

And they paid the price when Stockley again found space in the box and turned the ball across for fellow substitute Ryan Christie to knock home from close range.

It had been a similar story against St Johnstone.

Edwards headed wide with the goal gaping after Zander Clark parried a Stevie Lawless shot and new boy Niall Keown, watched by father Martin in the stand, was denied by a terrific reflex save from the Saints keeper.

And once again they were made to pay when Steven MacLean volleyed home after Callum Booth’s header back to Tomas Cerny fell woefully short.

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Thistle take Saints on again this Saturday, this time at McDiarmid Park, with a place in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals at stake.

And forward David Amoo, an impressive performer at Pittodrie, admitted he was frustrated to come away empty-handed.

He told the club website: “I was pleased with my performance and it felt great to get back out there but I would happily have traded any aspect of my personal performance for a result out there. We were easily worth at least a point and it was very frustrating to come away with nothing.

“It’s been the story of our season as we’ve created a few good chances and we haven’t been able to convert them. It’s disappointing but it would be worse if we weren’t creating the chances in the first place. We just need to keep working hard and believe that if we keep creating the chances it will start resulting in goals.

“It’s always disappointing to lose, especially when it means you fall down the table but we are playing really well at times and we just need to keep going.”