Father Barrys Sign (Top Half)

Yeah it's certainly not a huge factor but of the 4 pre season games so far today was definitely the worst spectacle. But the strikers got on the scoresheet so job done in terms of progress. Agree that Sammons goal was pretty special with the build up play and the superb finish. Pretty uneventful but we looked fairly comfortable throughout the game. After the opener the result was never really in doubt. The 3 wins would have been expected but won't do any harm at all in terms of confidence for the League Cup campaign in 10 days.

PJ started off not too bad for Alloa, but his form tailed off as the season went on. Armour didnt get much of a chance last season, so its hard to really have a pop at the guy.

Dont forget Ben Armour and PJ Crossan will also make their return to the hallowed turf. Powderkeg stuff . I'm actually looking forward to it in all seriousness. Not sure what the weather forecast is, but any afternoon standing at Clackmannan Road end not freezing to death is to be savoured.

Looks like a fight was planned over at KFC. There were police present for a good 30 minutes on Clackmannan Road after the game but it appeared they were just dispersing the crowds and waiting around for parents to pick up the children in question. I was a fair distance from them during the match so it probably didnt impact me as much as perhaps others. The flare after the first goal was hilarious, but it was all growing a bit tedious by the second half, and throwing missiles at the keeper isnt on. I enjoyed the game, and another decent crowd- although a bit bizarre watching an Alloa Stirling game with Alloa in bright orange and Stirling in navy blue. Only a friendly but the fact it was against Stirling gave it a slight edge compared to other pre season games. Not the main aim of pre season of course, but as stated Alloa won comfortably without really getting out of second gear- and it was probably an easier win overall than the Cumbernauld Colts game on the Saturday. Stirling had a mini revival at the start of the second half after pulling a goal back to make it 3-1 but they didnt really make much headway at all. Alloa got the 4th and the game completely petered out as a contest. Great to see Adam King getting a hat-trick. His second goal was exquisite and perhaps even better than his one against Montrose last season. I hope he brings that form into the campaign. Theres a player in there, hes technically pretty sound but need him to impose himself on games a bit more. He did that last night. Scougall again looked terrific and after spending much of last season bizarrely deployed as a winger I have high hopes that he'll be our star player this season. I thought you could see the improvement in midfield fluency, even compared to Saturday. Would have liked to see both our main strikers get off the mark which hasnt happened so far- but still a few more friendlies for them to get going. Not sure about any of the trialists so far- I dont know what the budget situation is but Im guessing we will top up the squad with loans. Im assuming Stanger pretty much signed, so key areas of the squad are obviously a goalkeeper and probably another option up top. Then its fingers crossed some of the more key players dont have bad luck on the injury front.

Decent enough exercise yesterday. Result never in doubt and allowed Alloa to work on ironing out the creases of their passing play and reach competitive match sharpness. I thought the win would involve plenty goals after scoring a couple early. Both goals were well taken and from twitter it looks like trialist is Bradley Rodden who was at Rossvale last season. Took his goals well and made some really good runs first half. Colts to their credit stuck in there after that opening 20 mins, and actually competed well for the rest of the game without ever really threatening the Alloa goal. Not that much else to report. Alloa scored a third early in the 2nd half through a set piece. Andy Graham claimed it but I thought it looked suspiciously like an own goal. Last half hour was pretty fragmented with a flood of trialists and youngsters introduced. Scougall looked class in his time on the pitch as always. Early days in pre season and plenty games on the horizon before the real stuff begins.

Train strike will make tomorrows game a bit of a logistical challenge for some. Would have been nice to go for a wee pre match beer but car it is for me. Graeme Holmes is at Cumbernauld Colts, so hopefully get a chance to see him play in the game as a wee additional bonus. Stranraer played them in a friendly last Saturday at Broadwood and won 5-0.

I see he did indeed sign for Thistle yesterday.

That would be great and appreciated- let me double check all the detail first and see if its a definite. Apparently bus was being booked in past couple of days

Admission prices for Cumbernauld Colts game on Saturday £6/£3 at Broadwood Stadium. Also for anyone interested, looks like the pre and post match Black and Gold Lounge bar will be open again when the league campaign commences this season. Lastly, trying to get enough interest for a 49 seater for Buckie Thistle away- looks like a 9am departure. Price likely to be around the £20 return mark.

Yeah standard fare really last night- but some decent passages of play on show from both sides and also a really decent crowd for a midweek pre season friendly- both sets of fans turned up in good numbers. Thistle were definitely on top most of the first half and deserved their lead. They had a couple of really nifty trialists, particularly number 7 on the right flank. Thistle then changed most of their team at half time, and Alloa flipped the game while they were adjusting. Cawley scored the goal of the night with an absolute beauty to equalise, and at that point it looked like Alloa might go on to win. But Thistle eventually got going again and 2 goals from Dowds sealed the match. Wouldnt completely write Ramsbottom off after one game on trial, but Jan Vojaceks assessment of Championship/Lowland League standard all in the one game was pretty apt. He made a couple of good saves, but didnt cover himself in glory for any of the goals. Give him the benefit of the doubt for the first one, but the other 2 goals werent great for him. I actually like the orange kit in the flesh- much brighter than the photo suggested, and very Blackpool like. Good to be back at the ground on a nice evening weather wise.

Youre in goals tomorrow night mate has no-one told you? Best get on the first plane back from your hols Partick Thistle Squad for anyone interested in what we are facing tomorrow night (stolen from Championship forum) Goalkeepers 1. Jamie Sneddon (24) Defenders 2. Jack McMillan (24) 3. Harry Milne (25) 4. Kevin Holt (29) 5. Darren Brownlie (28) 18. Tunji Akinola (23) 22. Aaron Muirhead (31) Midfielders / Wingers 6. Kyle Turner (24) 7. Scott Tiffoney (23) 8. Stuart Bannigan (29) 11. Steven Lawless (31) 14. Cammy Smith (26) 21. Mouhamed Niang (22)- free to find new club 23. Ross Docherty (29) Forwards 9. Brian Graham (34) 10. Anton Dowds (25)

Alloa- so far Goalkeepers Keir Burt Defenders Scott Taggart Andy Graham Mark Durnan Daniel Church Craig Howie George Stanger Midfielders Jon Robertson Adam King Stefan Scougall Steven Buchanan Cameron O'Donnell Kevin Cawley Forwards Connor Sammon Ross MacIver Bradley Rodden Seff Khyyam

Cup games aren't on the season ticket

Not signing apparently

It would be a shame if it was downsized as the stream coverage is a real success story. I was a bit cynical about it, due to potentially taking spectators away from the stadium but that didn't really materialise. Despite the screeds of moans usually from opposition fans about the price, I agreed with the stance to price match to general admission to the ground. The coverage allowed far reaching supporters like Waspie and other exiled supporters the opportunity to see every game. Pretty frequently I spoke to guys from England and Ireland about the games in the evening and it was a bonus that they had seen the full 90 mins and not relying on my account of the match . It also meant a chance to jump on the stream for a couple of hours on the phone if circumstances dictated you were out of town for the weekend. And as stated, the all round package stood up against anyone's in terms of quality and also made the club money overall. It's a strong signing, MacIver had to bide his time a bit but when he got a run in the team the goals were starting to come more regularly. Hopefully this can continue. I hold judgement on the 3rd strip until I see the full kit, but home kit is nice.

Agree with this, and he might do better in a more structured midfield- technically he looked reasonably okay. The midfield organisation under BF was akin to headless chickens, so I dont completely hold that against the player. Under Brian Rice he didnt play all that often- the Dumbarton cameo has been mentioned. The only start I recall was against Queens Park away when Rice decided to omit football players due to the quagmire pitch (at the time). He did okay in that game. Hard to tell from his time at Alloa what he was capable of, based on very limited game time when we actually started to look more like a football team. But I agree with the manager that he was behind Cawley, Robertson, Boyd, Sena, Scougall etc in the pecking order.

Great to see lots of full games from last season posted on the club YouTube channel. Obviously need to be selective in your games but a few on there worth a watch for a pre season fix to kill time.

With regards to Church, I guess its wholly dependant on how the manager views the defence as a whole in terms of personnel. If we are going predominantly with Graham and Durnan again at centre back- I have no issue with that at all. Remains to be seen if Andy has another full season in him but both are really good- solid, good in the air, can read the game. Can also pass out fairly well from the back and certainly in Andys case- drive forward when opportunity presents itself. They arent the quickest though, so whoever you have at full back has to compensate for that weakness to a degree. We know Taggart is on point (if he stays) and can do everything we need. Church I thought improved a lot over the season (most notably when he didnt have a manager who screamed at him all game from the touchline) but he did stray out of position from time to time and theres a risk we get caught from balls over the top when the defensive line is a bit further up the field. It happened a few times during the season, even towards its conclusion. With a quicker centre back next to him you get away with that more often than we do. I guess its the managers choice whether he thinks he can coach and develop Church, or goes for another option there. Generally I would expect a fair few changes for next season. As previously noted in terms of teams in the league, making play-off positions could be tough. Budget remains to be seen but we will need a strong squad to compete at the top undoubtedly. With every player the manager will be asking himself "could he compete in a championship competing team" and do they fit effectively into the system he wants to adopt

That's not really his job though, he's meant to assist the manager and he does plenty of talking to the manager throughout the match as well as play a prominent role in training (which he does) and offering guidance to help the manager form a final opinion. The season hasn't been great and there were times we looked precarious, but there has been far worse times for the team. We were moments away from being the worst team in the senior leagues in the mid 90s, we struggled in early 2000s when the money started drying up, and even our 10/11 collapse and the point gained at Ayr in 08/09 to stay up on the last day under Maitland were worse seasons than this.

Also mystified that some would be happy if Paddy goes. Great servant and great guy. Andy can be beaten for pace but yesterday aside he's played a huge part at the tail end of the season. Set up Cawleys winner against Peterhead and started the move for MacIvers goal against Clyde. Also a goal saving clearance against Falkirk in the 91st minute last week. 9 points right there that he was a huge part of.

Thoughts mostly covered through posts above.. As low a home crowd as I've seen at Falkirk, which is understandable given their season but should really set alarm bells ringing with their board. Game had an end of season feel about it, but Alloa were certainly the better team and deserved the points. Always nice to get a win there, regardless of circumstances and it was a good day for us. Sammons goal was terrific, although horrible defending from a Falkirk standpoint. Their defence was there for the taking all afternoon. Scougall and Robertson bossed the middle of the park, and Sena also made a real impact from the bench. Great to see our midfield looking so strong, albeit season nearly over. Nesbit made a difference for Falkirk when he came on. Before that probably not saying much but I thought Hetherington was arguably Falkirks best player. Leigh Griffiths a total waste of a jersey

All hypothetical of course, but I still think had we not appointed BF, its likely the highest we would have finished this season is third. Cove and Airdrie are pretty decent teams in the league and I doubt we'd have finished above them. Agree though, summer could be interesting and remains to be seen if the budget is still there to invest significantly in the playing squad. Play-offs at times arent completely reflective of the season, so you never know, QP might well win them and go up.

Echo the thoughts of others on Sammon. It doesnt necessarily work for him every single week, and in an ideal world I'd have liked to see him hit double figures in terms of goals. But his work rate and overall role in the team I dont think can really be questioned. We were also I thought over reliant on him under the last guy, and that led to Sammon at times chasing aimless high balls. His work back to goal has always been really good, hes undoubtedly a handful to opposition defenders, and Brian Rice has tweaked the formation to provide him far more support up top to maximise his impact on games. It is easy to be critical based on the level hes been at in the game in the past, but I think his contribution this season has been okay.

Who would you have starting in his place?

I really like the wee paddocks opposite the main stand. I might be wrong but seen a few examples of this in the Highland League, seems to be a wee tradition of those grounds. Agree though, very much like Balmoor behind the goals. And with bigger games and crowds on the horizon probably needs at minimum some raised standing behind the goals.