Ian McCall says he’s pleased with certain parts of his Partick Thistle side’s performance after they were beaten 2-1 by Celtic in cup action.
Early on it was tough, with Celtic scoring through Leigh Griffiths and bombarding them with attacks. Thistle managed to regroup and hold off the Hoops resistance for large spells in the second half.
McCall’s men battled hard. (photo by David Young/Action Plus via Getty Images)
Eventually Celtic did get a killer second. Callum McGregor’s deflected effort beat Scott Fox, rendering Stuart Bannigan’s late penalty meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
Despite the defeat, McCall’s feeling pretty upbeat about the work ethic his side showed in the defeat.
“We’re out and ultimately it’s a cup tie so that’s not great,” said the Jags boss. “The first 20 minutes we couldn’t handle Edouard and Rogic’s changing of positions but we got to grips with that.
Partick Thistle were eventually beat by Celtic. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
“They had a lot of the of the ball but no chances. The deflection’s killed us, Callum’s told me he’s claiming the goal but I think it was going safely into Fox’s arm. At 1-0 you’ve always got a chance.
“Ultimately our goal didn’t matter but we probably should have scored before half time and went in at 1-1. Kenny should score.
“But listen, there was some endeavor and really good individual performances. We are hoping to bring in new players, win the Challenge Cup and get up the league, that’s the least we should be doing at this club.”