Long time coming but Bathgate finally find some form

Jun 4 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

Bathgate Thistle 6 Forfar West End 2

BATHGATE were simply six-sational on Saturday as they hammered Forfar West End to secure their Super League safety on the final day of the season.

The Jags had left it late to turn their season around and relegation looked a real possibility before three wins in a row meant a win on the final day would be enough to beat the drop.

But Forfar West End had everything to play for with the loser of the match being relegated in the winner-takes-all clash at Creamery Park.

Thistle boss Paul Jack had admitted in a Courier interview last week that the match was as important as most cup finals and his men showed they understood what was at stake with a superb display.

The visitors came flying out of the traps and smacked the crossbar inside the opening minute as they warned Bathgate that they would be a threat.

This was something they proved four minutes later when they took the lead after Bryan Duell bundled the ball home from close range.

It took only 12 minutes for the hosts to fight back to level terms when Jim Lister steered home a Brian McPhee cross.

Bathgate then took the lead two minutes before the break, when Iain Nicholson volleyed home in style after Lister had flicked on another inviting McPhee cross.

The timely goal made Paul Jack’s half-time team talk a little easier and two minutes after the restart Bathgate scored again with a carbon copy of the second goal — McPhee crossing for Nicholson.

It became too easy for Bathgate as Forfar seemed to accept that their league survival was beyond them.

Less than two minutes after scoring their third the hosts netted No.4 when Graeme McLaren netted the first of a hat-trick.

McLaren was also on target in minutes 75 and 76 to hit Forfar for six.

A consolation strike from Duell midway through the half did little to derail the demolition job the Jags were doing as they celebrated their survival in the sunshine.

Bathgate manager Paul Jack was naturally delighted to watch his side beat the drop – and in an impressive manner.

He even allowed himself to wonder what might have been, had the Jags started the season in the same form they achieved at the end.

Jack said: “I feel the season is finishing too soon for us. If we had played in some of the games the way we did today then we would have won the league — but that’s football for you.

“I was very pleased with the team’s attitude and performance and even when we went a goal down I was still confident that we would come back and win the game.

“Graeme’s hat trick was tremendous as were the other three goals but I have got to give credit to all the players who were on the field today for their determination and hard work.

“Jim Lister also deserves a special mention as just before we went on this great run I stood him up before the rest of the squad and told him he was picked to play for Scotland Juniors because he scored goals.

“I told him he had a responsibility to do that in front of his fellow players and he responded magnificently.

“Since then he has scored in every one of our last five games. He and the rest of the players deserve their break now and we’ll all go away and think of what could have been.

“As for myself, I’ll go away and reflect on what’s been a very hard season for us.”

Lister, who was crowned Players’ Player of the Year before the match, admitted he was honoured to received the prize and thrilled at helping Bathgate beat the drop.

He said: “It was terrific to be given this trophy because it’s your colleagues who voted for you.

“It says a lot about the character of the lads here. I was presented with the trophy before the game to give me the confidence to score goals and it worked.

“We won the last five games and we should have been doing this at the start of the season.”

Another of Saturday’s heroes was Graeme McLaren who helped himself to a glorious treble. He said: “It was super to score a hat trick but we should have been doing this to teams months ago.

“The season has been a very hard one for us but we came good in the end.

“We had too much quality in the side to lose out.”

Bathgate Thistle: Longmuir, Wilson, Neill, Love, Gupwell, Nicolson, McPhee (Fallon), McColligan (Easton), Lister (Harvey), McGrillen, McLaren. Subs: Hunter, Lorek.