Partick Thistle and Raith Rovers went head to head in the Scottish Premiership play-off semi-final this evening. The 1st leg ultimately saw Raith Rovers get away with a 1-2 win.
The match at Firhill saw Raith Rovers control most of the possession in the opening stages of the game. A low cross from Kyle Turner resulted in the first big chance of the match for Keith Watson, but the Rovers defender shot the ball well wide of the target. Not much later Thistle caused a threat of its own via a corner, which resulted in the ball landing in the feet of a Thistle attacker who saw his shot get blocked by the Rovers defence.
The second quarter of the match saw the game go back and forth. A shot from Rovers got blocked by Thistle’s defence while Rovers’ Kevin Dabrowski had to make a save on the other end when Thistle fired a long range shot on target.
In the 22nd minute Rovers found a breakthrough via a dangerous cross from the right hand side. Thistle tried to clear the cross, but headed the ball into the feet of the incoming Rovers captain Scott Brown. The midfielder smashed the ball into the net from inside the box, with no chance for the goalkeeper, the visitors from Kirkcaldy went 0-1 up.
After the goal Rovers remained the most threatening, controlling the possession and passing the ball around the pitch. Thistle managed to get two long range shots towards Rovers’ goal, of which one went just wide and the other high over the bar.
Just when Thistle started to get back into the game, it was a quality counter from Rovers that got the better of the Glaswegians. A sharp cross got flicked through into the box towards the expectant striker Lewis Vaughan, who smashed the ball into the top of Thistle’s net from close range, taking Rovers 0-2 ahead just before half time.
The second half saw Raith Rovers cause most threat. A quality dribble by Lewis Vaughan saw the striker move past the Thistle defender and take a shot towards goal, which only just curled over the goal.
Thistle proved unable to get back into the game or build the play, not being able to create any clear cut chances or shots on target for the home crowd. Rovers kept Thistle on the back foot by putting pressure on its defence and being first on most of the loose balls.
Out of nowhere Thistle got one back, a high ball from the back managed to reach the edge of the box where a knocked down Thistle striker flicked the ball through to Blair Alston. The midfielder that only just got onto the pitch saw his shot fly past Kevin Dabrowski and into the net.
The 1-2 gave seemed to give Thistle new belief, causing more danger in front of Rovers’ goal. A Thistle free kick flew into the box and found the head ot Brian Graham, which got expertly stopped from close range by Rovers goalie Kevin Dabrowski.
In the final stages of the match Thistle pressed for the equalizer, resulting in a big chance for Thistle. Brian Graham saw a free kick from the back land in his feet in the box, and he managed to pass the ball in front of the feet of Scott Robinson who could smash it on the target. It were the reflexes of Kevin Dabrowski that kept Rovers ahead. The referee blew the whistle at 1-2, handing the Kirkcaldy side a comfortable position for Friday’s 2nd leg.
The Scottish Premiership 2nd leg semi final will kick off on Friday 17 May 7:45 PM at Stark’s Park. Just like the previous play-off matches BBC Scotland will be broadcasting it live from 7:30 PM. The winner will go through to the final, with the 1st leg Scottish Premiership play-off final set for 23 May and the 2nd leg scheduled for 26 May.
