Kris Doolan insists Partick Thistle will not sit back in second leg

Posted Friday, June 02, 2023 by PA

Kris Doolan insists Partick Thistle will go for goals again in their cinch Premiership play-off final second leg after their 2-0 win over 10-man Ross County at Firhill.

Jags winger Aidan Fitzpatrick opened the scoring in the ninth minute before 16-year-old Staggies defender Dylan Smith was sent off by referee David Munro eight minutes later for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, after the official upgraded a yellow card to red following the intervention of the VAR Andrew Dallas.

Striker Brian Graham volleyed in a second for the Championship outfit just before the break to give them the advantage for the return game in Dingwall.

Boss Doolan said: “It was a brilliant win for us – but it could have been more.

“If you’d offered us 2-0 before the game, we would obviously have taken your hand off. But it could have been more. To me, it maybe should have been more.

“Part of that is down to Ross County defending well and throwing their bodies on the line.

“Their goalie also made a good save at the end to tip one on to the bar. If we had managed to get a third, it might well have been a different game.

“But we know it’s not over. There’s still another game to be played on Sunday. We only have one way of playing – and we will go out and look to do the same in Dingwall.

“We know that if we can go there and win the game, we will be back in the Premiership.”

Staggies boss Malky Mackay was happy to leave Glasgow only two goals down and retains belief for the second leg.

He said: “We started fairly brightly and created a couple of half chances.

“But we lost a bad goal. It was a great strike from Fitzpatrick but poor defending from our lads that were out facing it.

“I thought we were doing okay at that point but then we lost young Dylan.

“He’s a great kid and has been terrific in his first season as a pro but in retrospect he’s nicked the boy and it was a sending off.

“That obviously gives us a mountain to climb.

“We then lose the goal just before half-time and when I got the boys back inside, I said to them the challenge was to make sure we come out here no worse than two-down.

“I didn’t want us to sink in to our own penalty box as that would have just been carnage. So to see us threaten them a few times was what I needed.

“Second half I was really proud of them and at only two-down, there is plenty to play for on Sunday.”