While the United players and supporters weren’t happy about it, this decision was the making of the game as a dramatic spectacle.
United were 1-0 up after four minutes, striker Josh Adams (Chris’s son) having tackled a Thistle player in the Jags’ defensive third and scored.
Stu Cranswick in actionEven a man down in the 33rd minute, United went 2-0 up when player-coach Stu Cranswick struck the ball with such power that Thistle goalkeeper Mark Baple could not claw it back in time after his initial block failed to stop it.
Around this time, Chris Adams was substituted.
“It’s hard enough playing with 10 men, never mind having to play with nine and a half,” he said in explanation.
While Adams, 49, was being hard on himself, his point was valid. His replacement, Jimmy Holden, is a mobile, specialist defender — just the type of player United needed in the circumstances.
Graham’s partner in the centre of United’s defence, Jonathan Purcell, had headed off his own goal-line in the 19th minute, and at the other end Baple made a good save after a free kick took a deflection a minute before halftime.
Thistle pulled a goal back 18 minutes into the second half.
Striker PJ Goodlett, who had harried the United defenders with little to show for it up till then, beat the offside trap down Thistle’s left flank and burst into the penalty area. From 20 metres on the angle, his cannon-ball shot was past United keeper Timoti Weir before he knew it, and Thistle were back in the game.
Three minutes later, Goodlett copped a knee injury in a tackle and had to go off. His replacement, Stefan Faber, did valuable work up and down the right flank as players tired.
In the 77th minute, Ian Cutler set up Thistle’s equaliser. He retained the ball under pressure on the left flank, made it to the byline and sent in a pinpoint cross to the far post, where midfielder Matt McVey arrived to head home.
Thistle had gradually worked their way back into the game, aided by the one-man advantage, and the rest of the match was punctuated by near misses and outstanding saves.
In the 85th minute, midfielder Max Mika — one of Thistle’s best on the day — headed clear in a dangerous goalmouth scramble.
Goal disallowedIn the 86th minute, Purcell was at the far post to tap in a Josh Adams free kick from the right, but the goal was disallowed for a foul on Baple.
In the 88th, Josh Adams got through on the left and fired wide, and in the 90th, Thistle midfielder Sam Patterson crossed dangerously from the left but Weir dived out full-length to intercept.
Two minutes into extra time, Baple made the save of the match. United’s industrious left-flank midfielder Damon Husband shot from 20 metres and Baple was off, leaping and twisting like a salmon to get his fingertips to the ball to turn it past his right-hand post.
Soon after this, Patterson and Weir clashed awkwardly as the keeper spread himself at feet to smother the shot. Patterson was stretchered off, but came back on the field — still on a stretcher — at the end of the game for a photo with his Thistle teammates.
Ten minutes into extra time, Cranswick was clear on the edge of the penalty area, but Baple charged out and spread himself to defuse the danger. Moments later, Baple was tipping a free kick over the bar.
In the second half of extra time, United skipper Craig Christophers showed wonderful powers of recovery to get back from an attacking position to be one of the players in the penalty area closing down a Thistle shot.
Weir made one more full-length diving save, and Baple made two vital punched clearances before the drama of penalties.
Weir saved well to deny Mika, then Jack Feyen had his kick saved by Baple after the Thistle keeper was pulled up twice for moving off his line.
Kieran Higham and Cutler, for Thistle, and Cranswick and Josh Adams, for United, all scored.
Then Weir guessed which way Daniel Venema’s penalty was going, and Christophers’ successful kick gave United a 3-2 lead on penalties, with one each to go.
Thistle’s Tyler Barwick scored to make it 3-3, but the final act of the game belonged to Chris Adams, with his expertly taken kick.
Thistle Reserves coach Garrett Blair said he was proud of the way his side fought back to take the game to penalties.
“It bodes well for the future,” he said.
“A lot of these boys will step up to the first team and we’ll bring the next lot through.”
Cranswick said he knew it would be an uphill battle after the red card.
“It was a well-fought game, and the score reflected how it went.”
Man of the match?
“It has to be our goalkeeper.”
Fair enough. Weir’s penalty saves won the match for United, and his general play was outstanding.
But United had heroes all over the park. Veteran Kim Perano was rock-solid at the back, having been brought up from the second team midseason to cover for injuries. And fellow defenders Holden, Purcell and Dan Torrie gave nothing away.
Christophers was outstanding in midfield, tackling, fetching and passing with distinction. Alongside him, Husband and Feyen looked to support ever-dangerous front-runners Josh Adams and Cranswick.
Thistle’s youth development was on show in this match. The experience through the “spine” of the side in Baple, centreback Venema, and central midfielders Reece Brew and Max Mika added stability to the youthful exuberance of fullbacks Jake Robertson, Tyler Barwick and David Barker, midfielders Patterson, Sam Hogan, Higham, Faber, McVey and Cutler, and striker Goodlett.
No one let the side down, but Baple, Robertson, Venema, Mika and Cutler were outstanding.
Medical examination showed Patterson has knee ligament damage, which is expected to heal without the need for surgery.
An all-rounder for Campion College and a bowler for Poverty Bay, Patterson will have his preparation for the cricket season disrupted while he recovers.
