Dunfermline lose to second half Partick Thistle goal

A frustrated Pars side couldn’t build on their midweek heroics as Thistle bagged a second half winner at East End Park.

After a first half well short of thrills, Scott Robinson bundled the ball home from a yard out to give the Jags the lead just before the hour mark.

Chris Hamilton missed a glorious chance to level and to make matters worse, midweek two goal hero Chris Kane limped off early in the second half with an injury.

Dunfermline threw everything at Partick late on but just couldn’t find an equaliser.

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it was clearly on James McPake’s mind as he picked the same starting 11 that inflicted a first league defeat of the season on Livingston on Tuesday night.

That 3-0 win was a real shot in the arm for the Pars and a crowd of more than 5,000 made their way to East End to see if they could keep that form going and claim three points against Thistle.

Unfortunately for Athletic the answer was no.

You couldn’t fault the effort but Partick proved a much tougher challenge than Livi – the Glasgow side are now five matches unbeaten – and Dunfermline remain second bottom of the Championship.

After wreaths were laid and the last post played, a minute’s silence was observed before kick-off as an act of remembrance.

Kris Doolan’s side were cheered on by a colourful band of travelling supporters, many in fancy dress, and they were on their feet when Harry Milne tricked his way past Aaron Comrie and cut the ball back but Hamilton cleared the danger.

Goalie Tobi Oluwayemi wasn’t busy in the early stages as he looked to continue his good run. Ahead of the clash with Thistle he’d made six appearances for McPake’s side and only been on the losing side once, the 2-1 reverse at Falkirk.

In front of him, teenager Sam Young and skipper Kyle Benedictus were tasked with shutting down the threat of Partick’s main man, striker Brian Graham, and that plan largely worked.

It was a mistake at the Thistle end that gave Pars an early sniff when Kanayochukwu Megwa coughed up possession to Dapo Mebude but he couldn’t pick out a team-mate in the box.

Quick feet from Lewis McCann bought a yard of space to whip in a great cross that Graham headed clear and the ball was recycled to Kieran Ngwenya whose shot from the edge of the penalty area was blocked.

In the 19th minute Benedictus had a great chance when Hamilton nodded a corner back across goal. The centre back took the ball full on the volley as it dropped to him but from a tight angle he blazed high and wide.

The Jags then broke clear with Robinson but he didn’t have the pace to get away from Young and the ball was poked just past the post for a corner as the Thistle man tumbled to the deck.

McCann did well to get on the end of a David Wotherspoon free kick but while he made a solid connection the direction was off and the goalie wasn’t troubled by his header.

Excellent covering from Hamilton stopped Megwa’s low ball reaching its intended target, as Thistle created an overload on the right, as both teams cancelled each other out.

It took a Jags goal in the last two minutes of the league clash at Firhill in September to separate the sides and it was tight here too, with neither keeper getting his gloves dirty in the first half hour.

Mebude could have pulled the trigger just before the break but wanted to beat an extra man and the ref waved play on after Stuart Bannigan bundled him over and took the ball.

In the 42nd minute Young got caught out by the bounce of the ball in midfield and Graham took advantage to release Logan Chalmers on the right.

The retreating Young stumbled to give the striker a free look at goal and he looked certain to score but for Oluwayemi who pulled off a fine save.

McCann made way for Kane Ritchie-Hosler at half-time and Kane had to limp out of the action after taking a knock early in the half, with Matty Todd on in his place.

Hamiton went low to try and send a near post diving header past Myles Roberts from a DA corner as Athletic quickly adapted to the enforced reshuffle.

Ritchie-Hosler tricked his way to the line and stood up a great ball, it was cleared only as far as the edge of the box where Craig Clay’s ferocious half volley was headed wide for a corner.

And Ritchie-Hosler just missed the ball after Ngwenya flashed a great ball across the goal.

But in the 57th minute the left back was too late into the challenge and chopped down Megwa.

From Kyle Turner’s free kick Dan O'Reilly headed it goalwards and Robinson touched it in on the line.

Dunfermline then missed an amazing chance to level in the 61st minute when Mebude broke into the box and laid it into the path of Todd.

His effort at goal was blocked and the ball ran loose for Hamilton with the keeper grounded and the net gaping – but the midfielder fired the ball high over the bar.

Athletic pushed Partick back and put numerous crosses into the box, although the two players that would have benefited most from this service, McCann and Kane, weren’t on the pitch.

Pars ended up making six subs - Kane was a concussion sub - as Josh Cooper replaced Hamilton, Taylor Sutherland and Craig Wighton came on too, for Ngwenya and Mebude, as Dunfermline went for it.

Cooper showed some invention to fashion a chance on the edge of the box but dragged it wide and a late Ritchie-Hosler blast looped off a Thistle leg and the ball landed in the keeper’s arms.