The SWPL action continued this weekend as Gary Holt’s Partick Thistle pushed for a place in the top five, while bottom-of-the-table Montrose were aiming to secure their first three points.
Montrose looked nervy as they began the half, and Partick Thistle came out of the traps like bloodhounds, ready to sniff out the nervous energy and create opportunities. However, the dynamic slowly shifted as The Mo grew into the game.
Just five minutes into the match, Montrose were forced to contend with a goalmouth scramble as the Jags just couldn’t edge the ball into the net, with Robinson having her shot clawed back off the line by the keeper.
The next 15 minutes became stagnant as the ball rarely moved into either side’s final third, with both teams struggling to retain possession.
The tide of the game began to change as Montrose sparked into action. Brown dipped into the pocket of space behind the back line, just outside the 18-yard box, and fired her shot goalward, with Easdon equal to the well-struck effort as she palmed it away.
Right on the half-hour mark, Montrose opened the scoring with their first attempt at goal. A slip on the extremely wet surface from captain Falconer afforded Montrose possession, and Stewart picked it up just on the edge of the box before lobbing the ball over the Jags keeper who could only watch as it floated over her head. 0-1.
Minutes before half-time, Montrose’s fragile backline was sliced open by a Thistle long ball as Longcake bore down on goal with only the keeper to beat. However, the attacker opted to lift it over the goalie and watched as it bounced agonisingly wide. It was perhaps the best opportunity to equalise.
Montrose took comfort into half-time knowing they were both a goal up and had staved off some well-worked Partick Thistle attacks. The Jags, on the other hand, were looking to turn the game on its head in the second half and they certainly did just that.
A calamity at the back for Partick just as the half restarted allowed Stewart to find plenty of space in the box, but the striker could only fire the ball wide, another warning sign for the Jags.
Montrose continued to push for an extension of their lead and added a second in the 55th minute. Cowper’s wonderfully weighted free-kick into the box found the head of Carter, who was left with a free header. The defender made no mistake, looping it over Jags keeper Easdon to double The Mo’s lead and leave Partick Thistle with a mountain to climb to find a way back into the game. 0-2.
Partick Thistle were not down and out, though, as McGoldrick called Perry into action for really the first time. She zipped her effort along the soaking surface, with the keeper getting down quickly to palm the shot around the post and out for a corner.
Many have witnessed comebacks from losing positions in football, but to score three goals inside four minutes to pull your side ahead is no mean feat — and that’s exactly what Thistle did.
The 61st minute was the starting point of a rampant Thistle resurgence as a great cross in by Donaldson was met by Robinson, who guided the ball into the bottom corner, rounding off a scintillating move from the Jags to pull themselves back into the game. 1-2.
Just one minute later, Partick pulled the score level as Longcake dug the ball out from under her feet at the corner flag and lofted it high into the box, where McGoldrick cushioned her effort in. 2-2.
The final goal of the game, which cemented the comeback, came in the 64th minute as McGoldrick handed Thistle the lead for the first time. She picked the ball up just outside the box and let it fly, with her well-struck effort bulging the back of the net. 3-2.
It finished with Partick Thistle wrapping up all three points, showing great character within the team to claw it back from 2-0 down. Montrose, on the other hand, will be bitterly disappointed to have thrown away such a well-deserved lead and still sit rock bottom of the table.
To watch the video match report follow the link to the Tik Tok video: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN8rybA2o/
