Jag Sinclair glad to be back in the Game
Friday 30th November 2012
The two top teams in the IRN-BRU SFL First Division, Partick Thistle and Dunfermline Athletic, meet at Firhill this Saturday but it will not be a battle to get points in front as opposed to leading by goal difference that will be happening........it will be a battle for progression in the Scottish Cup.
The Jags go into the game on the back of a magnificent seven home First Division victories in a row as they saw off Livingston 2-0 last Saturday to keep hold of the leadership of the First Division from the Pars by two goals. Thistle's goals came, after a blank first half, from defender Aaron Sinclair with midfield colleague Stuart Bannigan curling home the clincher shortly afterwards.
For Sinclair, the goal was his first in the First Division this season and sets him up nicely for his second crack at Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup in just over two years. However, unlike his last game where he was playing for the underdogs, the sides are much more evenly matched this time out.
Sinclair said: “It was a good victory against Livingston at the weekend and as well as winning 2-0, I won the Man-of-the-Match Award. I am back playing regularly and really enjoying my football again.
“At the start of the season, I was not playing as I had an injury and then when I got fit, I could not get my place back as Stuart had done really well in my absence. The team were winning games and were top of the League so I had to be patient but in the last three or four games, I have come in, done well and it was good to top that off with a goal and a win against Livingston.”
An injury to Bannigan at Falkirk opened the starting door again for Sinclair who said: “Stuart picked up the same injury as me at Falkirk a few weeks ago when he was hit by a pretty poor looking challenge. However, he has managed to come back quicker and he certainly enjoyed scoring the second goal.”
McNamara and his assistant, Simon Donnelly, probably enjoyed the goal as well with Sinclair adding: “Cutting inside from the left and shooting with our right foot is something that we have been practising on all season in training so Stuart will be really chuffed to have scored that way.”
Sinclair’s route to Firhill was via Montrose’s Links Park where he made his debut in May, 2009 as an 18-year-old in a IRN-BRU SFL Third Division game against Albion Rovers. His development continued under then Manager Steven Tweed and his form earned him the IRN-BRU SFL Phenomenal Young Player of the Month for September, 2010 and, of course, his move to Firhill the following summer.
The now 21-year-old said: “This is my second season as a full-timer. I am enjoying this season now and hopefully, it will continue that way.”
Sinclair talked through Saturday’s highpoint of his second campaign saying: “Livingston was a really hard game and it was still goalless after the second half had started. I thought to myself before Ross Forbes swung over the free kick that I would make a run to the near post. Ross has a wonderful left foot and the ball he crossed was perfect and I flicked it home with my head.”
Whilst one former Gable Endie was celebrating, another was disappointed as Sinclair explained: “The Livingston goalkeeper Andy McNeil used to play with me at Montrose so it was nice to score against him. It is my second goal of the season and it is nice to be off the mark in the League now as my other goal came in the 5-4 win over Queen’s Park in The Ramsdens Cup.”
With hostilities for promotion to the SPL on hold for a week, Thistle and Dunfermline meet just three weeks after a 5-1 win for the red and yellow shirted home side at Firhill. Sinclair however, reckons that result does not mean anything with a place in the Fifth Round at stake.
He said: “The Scottish Cup tie will be a nice break from the League despite it being against our closest rivals this season. It will be a really hard game and even though we had a great result against them a couple of weeks ago, that counts for nothing now.
“Cup ties are one off games so we need to go into Saturday’s game with the same attitude that we showed in the 5-1 game. Hopefully, that will lead to another good performance and another win. Our home record has been excellent this season and it was good last season as well so we can be confident but they are a good side.”
Sinclair has already one Scottish Cup success over a Par in his career as he explained: “I used to play against Josh Falkingham when he was in the Third Division with Arbroath so he is the player that I probably know best from their team.”
One of the games that the duo were involved when they were both Third Division players was back in October, 2010 when Montrose defeated Falkingham’s Red Lichties 3-2 in a replay after a 1-1 draw. Sinclair scored and Falkingham was sent off in the drawn game with Montrose then winning the replay before knocking out Whitehilll Welfare to set up a tie with Dunfermline back in January, 2011.
Sinclair said: “We went ahead in the first game against Dunfermline at Links Park with a goal from Paul Tosh but Dunfermline then scored twice and looked to be going through until Paul scored again in the last minute to earn us a replay.”
There was to be no last minute heroics in the second game against an East End Park side, then managed by Jim McIntyre, and who were just a few months away from taking his side to the First Division title.
Sinclair commented: “In the second meeting, their fitness really told on a heavy pitch. We were two nil down at half-time but they scored an own goal however, they quickly scored another. It was 5-1 before we added a couple more from Paul after their goalkeeper had been sent off as the tie finished 5-3 to Dunfermline.
“At that point of my career, it was a really big game for me. I had been in training with St. Johnstone full-time for a few months and trying to impress them and win a full-time deal. It never happened there but a lot has happened in my career since then.”
Thistle’s Aberdonian full-back is keen for the Firhill side to win and set up a game against his home town team in the next round as he explained: “Trying to beat Dunfermline again, in fact for a third time this season, will be difficult but it is a game that we are looking forward to. I hope that we can get through and I am hoping that Aberdeen get through as well as I want to draw them as I have never played against them.”
Sinclair is not alone in looking forward to Saturday’s game as he explained: “There were over 5,000 fans at the recent League game and it would be terrific to get a crowd of that size again in the Scottish Cup.”
