A controversial penalty deep into injury time salvaged a vital point for Vics. With Thistle holding onto their first half advantage, the referee spotted an infringement in a penalty box stramash and Rikki Hanvey stepped up to sweep the ball past Graham Lynn into the net.
The big Thistle keeper was first called into action in the 15th minute when first he parried a Paterson cross and then beat away James Davidson’s follow up effort. Two minutes later he pushed a spectacular Mathew Santos volley round the post but it was the visitors who should have taken the lead in the 20th minute when a low cut back by Billy Young was missed by everyone in a black and white shirt.
Right on half time Paterson had a great chance to equalise from a Santos cutback but took a touch and Liam Sloan got back to clear the ball off the line.
It was a similar story in the second half with Vics’ doing most of the pressing with Thistle threatening on the break. Early on Hanvey cut inside a defender only to be thwarted again by Lynn. Lynn then turned a thumping 25 yard drive from Raymond Buchanan over the bar and from the resulting corner kick, denied the Vics’ defender again by blocking his header with his leg.
Right on half time Paterson had a great chance to equalise from a Santos cutback but took a touch and Liam Sloan got back to clear the ball off the line.
It was a similar story in the second half with Vics’ doing most of the pressing with Thistle threatening on the break. Early on Hanvey cut inside a defender only to be thwarted again by Lynn. Lynn then turned a thumping 25 yard drive from Raymond Buchanan over the bar and from the resulting corner kick, denied the Vics’ defender again by blocking his header with his leg.
It was a similar story in the second half with Vics’ doing most of the pressing with Thistle threatening on the break. Early on Hanvey cut inside a defender only to be thwarted again by Lynn. Lynn then turned a thumping 25 yard drive from Raymond Buchanan over the bar and from the resulting corner kick, denied the Vics’ defender again by blocking his header with his leg.
It was the only way Vics were going to find a way past an inspired Lynn who pulled off a string of superb saves thorughout the match to deny the home side.
But Vics’ were the more proactive side and in the 28th minute Paterson broke down the left and although Hanvey failed to connect with his low cross, Jim Wilson’s drive was saved by the impressive Lynn.
Rikki Hanvey did find a way past the Thistle keeper after he skipped between two defenders but his angled drive flew inches wide. Davidson then fired over after cutting back in off the bye-line when a better option would have been to set up one of the two Vics’ strikers in front of goal and it was a decision Vics’ were to rue just five minutes before the break when Thistle took the lead. From a corner kick, Michael Daly rose unchallenged only for his header to come of the bar but with the Vics’ defence static, Mark McRoberts was first to react to head home from close range.
Thistle had been trying to hit Vics’ on the counter attack and with 15 minutes left substitute Ally Morgan broke clear of the Vics’ defence and with only Barclay to beat, lifted the ball wide of the far post.
The Thistle goal had an amazing let off with ten minutes remaining when first Hanvey, then Santos, had efforts blocked before Lynn denied Buchanan with a fine save and as the ball was played back into the danger zone, the big Vics’ defender headed wide of the post. Moments later Hanvey failed to connect properly with a Paterson cross with the goal at his mercy and it looked as if Vics’ chance had gone.
The game should have been over with just four minutes remaining when after some slack defending by Martin King, Martin McVey broke clear only for Martyn Barclay to race from his goal to save.
Then came that dramatic penalty deep into injury time that resulted in a share of the points which was the least Vics’ deserved. But for an outstanding display from Graham Lynn, on another day it could have been more.
Team : Lynn, Sloan (Morgan 25), Conway, Bain, Daly, Dempsey, Allum, Innes, McRoberts (McVey 65), Young, Chaplain (Smith 81)
Report courtesy of John Dalton and www. thejuniors.info
