Months of action boiled down to this one game, 90 (or 120 and penalties) separated us from a second League Cup triumph under my stewardship.
Standing in my way was a St. Mirren side who are having a decent season by their standards, sitting in eighth place in the Premiership and comfortably clear of the bottom two, hoping to better last season’s position of…eighth and comfortably away from any relegation trouble.
Gary Bowyer is in charge of the Buddies, taking over from Jack Ross, who returned to guide them back to the top flight in the 2023/24 season and return to Sunderland for a second spell.
Unlike us, they had to battle through the group stage to get to the final, defeating Bonnyrigg Rose, Queen of the South, Albion Rovers (on penalties) and Ayr United to finish top of their group.
Dundee United, relegated from the Premiership last season (24/25) were eliminated in the Round of 16 before the Buddies claimed their biggest scalp.
In the quarter-finals, faced with the challenge of Rangers, the Buddies showed no fear and stunned their visitors, gaining revenge for the painful defeat in the 2010 Final, when Rangers triumphed with just nine men.
Livingston, who are in the top half of the Premiership this season (so far) were then downed in the semis to set up the showpiece with us.
In all honesty, I was beginning to feel a bit like Jock Stein when he mentioned the dangers of thinking you have a game won before you play it, in which he lambasted his Celtic side’s performance when Thistle crushed them in the 1971 Final.
A/N: I have attached a link to a Facebook page with the interview, I have been unable to find it on YouTube to embed it. – Marc
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=185256963595048
Why? Because we came into it as favourites, and had all the pressure on us, at least when you face one of the Old Firm, there’s no pressure on you to perform, it’s all on them.
Getting off to a good start was imperative, and we pushed the Buddies up the park from the first whistle. We were rewarded in the fifth minute when Keiran Hamill, who was just about available for the showpiece after a knock earlier in the month, turned and fired beyond Ahamada in the St. Mirren goal.
Jack McMillan’s quickly-taken throw to Teddy Jenks caught them off guard. A quick one-two between them sent McMillan into the channel, and he found Scott Tiffoney practically at the byline. Finding a route to goal blocked by Marc Bola, Tiffoney slid in, Hamill pounced on Keanu Baccus’ dallying, offloading to Teddy Jenks in a crowded penalty box before Jenks teed Hamill up for a shot on the turn into the bottom corner.
Tiffoney and McMillan were their tormentors in chief, and their dominance down the St. Mirren left had them creaking under the pressure. They were lucky not to go 2-0 down in the 30th minute when Teddy Jenks broke into the box, but his effort was high and wide of goal.
That attempt did not work out, but our next foray forward punished the Buddies for a costly mistake that looked to put some breathing space between us and our opponents. Former Motherwell man James Scott’s attempted cross-field pass was intercepted by Owen Beck, who moved the ball forward to Greg Kiltie, and he slipped the ball through to Keiran Hamill to sweep the ball beyond Ahamada.
One thing that should be known about Partick Thistle, whether in reality or the virtual world, is the notion that if it’s going too well, it probably is.
The Buddies pulled one back a minute before the interval. It was a stunning individual effort, in fairness to James Scott, who beat half my team before eventually curling the ball home from inside the penalty area.
Not wanting to panic, I told the boys they were doing well and that they shouldn’t worry about their goal back, as it had been their first meaningful attack in a half we otherwise dominated and that we could regain control if we started the second half like we did the first.
And sure enough, we had the ball in the net for a third time in the 57th minute when Malachi Fagan-Walcott rifled home after a stramash inside the penalty area following a Scott Tiffoney corner. Unfortunately for us, the joy was cut short when VAR intervened and awarded an indirect free-kick after it showed Jack McMillan had diverted the ball into Mal’s path with his arm.
Three minutes later, we had another couple of close calls, the first being when Keiran Hamill was denied a hat-trick from a close range by an excellent save from Ahamada and then from the subsequent corner when the ball was worked back out to Greg Kiltie, but his shot from 25 yards sailed harmlessly into the ‘keeper’s arms.
With another chance spurned by Keiran Hamill in the 70th minute, it looked like a (legitimate) third goal was beyond us.
Until the 88th minute when Jack McMillan’s lung-bursting run to the byline and cross was nodded in by Mikey Johnston.
For the second time in four seasons under my management, Partick Thistle have WON the Scottish League Cup.
Wallace 'Til I Die 