Partick Th 3
Dundee Utd 1
League (Division One)

Match Report

For the trip to Firhill, Billy Gray and Sandy White dropped out of the team to make way for Ian Reid and Morris Stevenson, the latter having been absent since April with a serious ligament injury, which at one time threatened to end his career.

Thistle started the better side and after just two minutes, they should have had the lead. A Johnny Gibson cross to the far post met Bobby Lawrie who hit the ball first time. Hamish McAlpine did well to get down to save though. Partick took the lead just three minutes later following a move started by Ronnie Glavin. The winger sent a pass out to Alex Rae on the opposite flank who in turn found Lawrie. The winger crossed to the far post and Denis McQuade stuck a calmly taken header past McAlpine.

On 10 minutes, United pulled a goal back. The Thistle defence all at sea, Ian Reid and Jackie Copland passed their way through before the former poked the ball past Alan Rough. Reid threatened the Thistle back line again on 20 minutes when slack defending allowed him to shoot over the bar from six yards. Copland had a shot blocked by Rough moments later and it looked as though United were in control. It was surprising then, when Partick took the lead in the 32nd minute, somewhat against the run of play. A chance free-kick taken by Alex Forsyth was floated into the box and McQuade, netting his second, rose to head the ball in off the upright. United's attacks continued though and only the safe goalkeeping of Rough kept Thistle in the lead, with a daring double save, first from Jim Cameron then another following a melee. Tommy Traynor and Jim Henry both missed the target in the moments that followed before Partick again stunned the Tangerines, and it was that man McQuade again, completing a hat-trick of headers from a Lawrie corner. To round off United's first half misery, an Ian Mitchell goal just before the break was disallowed for off-side.

There were no further goals in the second half of the match. A spent force, feeling rather hard done by, United fell out of the match as Partick held on for the victory. The defeat left United on seven points in the league campaign, just one clear of bottom placed Kilmarnock.