Partick Th 1
Dundee Utd 1
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

United made two changes to the side that gained a 0-0 draw with Hibernian the previous week. Robinson came in for Fleming and Frye took his place up front replacing Billy Kirkwood in a bid to help Unite find their goal scoring touch. Just under 4,000 were in attendance at Firhill for this league encounter.

United got off to the best of starts with a goal in the opening ten minutes. McLean would have been pleased with his selection of Derek Frye as he bundled in the opening goal of the game after 8 minutes. The visitors were well on top for the majority of the first half and put on a show of football elegance and poise. Narey and Hegarty dominated everything and Thistle looked lost.

In the second half Thistle brought on both their substitutes, O'Hara and Sheed, with Gibson and Anderson departing. The effect was the tonic. Sheed, especially, created space for his colleagues and brought some shape to their enthusiasm. McKinnon fell back to the right back position which he used as a launching pad for some hearty dashes down the wing. Whittaker operated with similar enthusiasm on the left. It was a free-kick by Whittaker which allowed Bobby Houston, totally un-attended, to score the equaliser with a diving header. It was a sucker punch in the sense that until then Thistle had almost totally ignored Housteon and had lulled United into doing likewise. Dundee United's second half eclipse was so complete as to defy explanation. "We just stopped playing" said Jim McLean after the match.Thistle's Somner and Whittaker along with Sturrock and Stewart were the players who had their name taken.