Partick Thistle Youth (U-18s) Season 2024-25
| 2024-25 (Youth - Under 18s) |
| The first full season under the 'Partick Thistle Youth Academy' name |
- Matches
- Goalscorers
- Foyle Cup Table
- CAS League Cup Table
- CAS Performance U-18s League Table
- Video Highlights
| scorers in CAPS • used subs in brackets | |
| 1. Fri-12-Jul-2024 [a] D1-1 Falkirk (Friendly) |
| – 7.00pm, Falkirk Stadium. LOW. |
| 2. Mon-15-Jul-2024 [a] W3-0 Moville Celtic (Foyle Cup U-17 Group B - game 1) |
| – 7.00pm, Bay Field, Moville. A hybrid of 16s & 18s (mostly the latter) represented Thistle in this U-17 tournament. 2 x 35s. LOCKHART, ROONEY, MacKAY. |
| 3. Tue-16-Jul-2024 [n] W6-0 Lisnaskea Rovers (Foyle Cup U-17 Group B - game 2) |
| – 7.00pm, Strabane Melvin 3G. 2 x 35s. GAUGHAN (2), BRAID (2, 1 pen), LOCKHART, DOLAN. |
| 4. Wed-17-Jul-2024 [n] W1-0 Don Boscos (Foyle Cup U-17 Group B - game 3) |
| – 7.00pm, Shared Village, Derry. 2 x 35s. GAUGHAN. |
| 5. Thu-18-Jul-2024 [n] W3-0 Inishowen Youth League (Foyle Cup U-17 Semi Final) |
| – 7.00pm, Prehen 3, Derry. 2 x 35s. MacKAY (2), GAUGHAN. |
| 6. Fri-19-Jul-2024 [n] W*0-0 T6 Football Academy (Foyle Cup U-17 Final) |
| – 7.00pm, Brandywell Stadium. 2 x 35s. T6 Football Academy are in partnership with Middlesbrough FC. * Jags won 8-7 in the penalty shoot-out. |
| – After a hard-fought nil nil stalemate, the final was decided on penalty kicks. It was a high-quality shoot-out and Thistle were on the brink of defeat when Luis Cameron saved at 3-4 to keep the Jags alive and it went to sudden death. Another save at 7-7 gave Liam Rooney the chance to win it for Thistle and he slotted home, sparking scenes of great celebration! |
| 7. Fri-02-Aug-2024 [a] L0-3* Ayr United (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 1) * awarded |
| – 4.00pm, Townhead Park. TRIALIST (2). Thistle won 2-1 but a 0-3 loss was imposed due to fielding an ineligible player, the scorer nonetheless. Shambles! |
| 8. Tue-06-Aug-2024 [a] W3-1 Kilmarnock (Friendly) |
| – 7.00pm, Rugby Park. LOCKHART, MacKAY, GAUGHAN. |
| 9. Fri-09-Aug-2024 [a] L1-3 Queen's Park (Friendly) |
| – 3.00pm, Lochinch Sports Complex. FALCONER. |
| 10. Fri-16-Aug-2024 [a] W4-0 Rangers (Friendly) |
| – 6.00pm, Auchenhowie. As Scottish Cup Quarter Finalists last time out, both sides had a first round bye and so organised this friendly. GAUGHAN, LOW, FALCONER, LOCKHART. |
| – A strong and relentless performance that, in all honesty could have been an even larger scoreline. Rangers had 2-3 trialists in their side and looked disjointed and struggled to live with the high press from the Thistle front line. Two excellent saves from Storey, one in each half, ensured a well-deserved clean sheet for the Thistle defence. |
| 11. Wed-28-Aug-2024 [a] W8-3 Alloa Athletic (CAS U-18 League Cup South/West Group - game 1) |
| – 8.00pm, Recreation Park. FALCONER (3), MacKAY (3), GAUGHAN, CAMPBELL. |
| – 4 goals in each half mean that this result was never in much doubt, and if any matchday nerves were in play, they disappeared after Chrissy Mackay scored after just 18 seconds. Matty Falconer rounded off an excellent performance in midfield with a hat-trick completed within an hour, and Mackay closed out his own hat trick 10 minutes later. Gaughan also on the scoresheet and a first competitive U18s goal for Rudi Campbell, playing up from the U-16s. |
| 12. Fri-06-Sep-2024 [a] L2-4 Airdrieonians (CAS U-18 League Cup South/West Group - game 2) |
| – 6.00pm, Excelsior Stadium. MacKAY (2, 1 pen). |
| – A fairly lacklustre performance from a Thistle side who have been flying. They found themselves behind early in the first half after a mix-up at the back gave the Airdrie front line the chance to press home an advantage. 2 goals from MacKay in fairly quick succession (the 2nd being a penalty won after Falconer drove into the box) meant that Thistle went into the break 2-1 ahead. Second half saw Airdrie grab two equally quick-fire goals in the first five minutes, and extend their lead with 15 to go. |
| 13. Fri-13-Sep-2024 [a] D2-2 Inverness Caledonian Thistle (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 2) |
| – 2.00pm, Highland Football Academy. This was the rearranged fixture after a postponement two weeks prior. DOCHERTY, ROONEY. |
| – Thistle had plenty of possession in the first half and pressed hard for a goal of their own, before falling behind to an Inverness strike not too long before half time; 1-0 at the break and Thistle with the work to do. The task became greater on the hour mark when Inverness scored a good second after breaking down the right hand side. Docherty scored the first of Thistle’s goals and, only minutes later, Rooney added the second to draw the match level. Both sides had further chances to win it, but had to settle for a share of the spoils. |
| 14. Fri-20-Sep-2024 [a] W4-0 Dunfermline Athletic (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 3) |
| – 7.30pm, Dunfermline Training Centre. MacKAY, OG, FALCONER (2, 1 pen). Scheduled as Thistle's home fixture, but switched to Rosyth. Presumably, we'll play the reverse later in the season at the refurbished Petershill, which is yet to have the upgraded/replaced floodlights installed. |
| – An absolutely dominant display in the first half, but less impressive was the narrow 1-0 lead taken into half-time. The Dunfermline goalkeeper made 3-4 excellent saves in the half, but couldn’t keep MacKay out after 30 mins, following a flowing move down the right, and an excellent cross from Rooney. Dunfermline came out for the second half with much more intent, and a frenetic 45 minutes saw several good chances for the home side before a Lockhart corner was turned into the Dunfermline net to give Thistle a second around 70 mins. In the last 20, a Falconer penalty and another from inside the box closed the game out 4-0 in favour of the visitors. |
| 15. Fri-27-Sep-2024 [a] W4-3 St Johnstone (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 4) |
| – 2.00pm, McDiarmid Park. MacKAY (2, 1 pen), WADDELL, DOCHERTY. 5 months without a home game, but on away form like this, who cares? Great win at the home of the back-to-back champions! |
| – With four U16 players in the squad and 4 goals scored by players in their first year of U18s, Mark Wilson’s side continues to be a useful blend of youth and experience. A strong performance from Matthew Monaghan at the back and a relentless and effective 90 minutes from Steven Docherty in attack (scoring a winner late-on by way of a reward) seen the Young Jags win on the road again. They fell behind from a low drive (10) but came back into it and Chrissy MacKay levelled (17). There were chances at both ends, but it was Saints who hit next on the break (24). A 54th minute pen was converted by MacKay (his 8th in 5 games) but it was never easy and a deep corner was converted at the back post (64), 3-2 Saints. Showing great character, the young Jags turned zero points into three with two late goals. A relatively rare but important headed equaliser from centre-back Charlie Waddell (84) preceded Docherty’s winner (86) and that was enough to overcome a resilient St Johnstone side. Scenes! |
| 16. Fri-04-Oct-2024 [a] L1-3 Greenock Morton (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 5) |
| – 7.30pm, Parklea. FALCONER. |
| – Two nil down at half time, Thistle conceded again around the hour mark to make a difficult comeback more or less impossible. One goal for the Young Jags courtesy of a Matthew Falconer free kick around 70 minutes wasn’t enough to trouble a very direct and pacy Morton side, who currently sit top of the league with a 100% win record. |
| 17. Fri-11-Oct-2024 [h] W5-3 Rangers (Scottish Youth Cup 3rd Round) |
| – 4.00pm, Petershill Park. Storey, Monaghan, DOLAN, Rooney, Johnston (Waddell), Docherty (Fullerton), FALCONER, McKenna, MacKAY (Braid), Gaughan (PATERSON), Low. Unused subs: Cameron (GK), Williamson. 1 x OG. 1st & 2nd Round byes. First home match since May - what a return. Our top level youth class of '24 mark the 75th Scottish Cup match with the club's best-ever result in the competition, knocking out the holders for the first-time ever! Last knocked out Rangers in 1991 and ran to the semi finals… |
| – Thistle brought their 'A' Game in the attacking sense in this pulsating tie which had some excellent football - and goals! A corner was deflected in for a (definite!) own goal at the back post (29) but Rangers levelled (40) and 1-1 was fair after a well-contested first half. Good work from Matthew Falconer and a clinical close-range finish from Chrissy MacKay (52) restored the lead, but Rangers weaved their way back level (62). Thistle might have rocked at this point, but they went ahead for the 3rd time via a towering header from Liam Dolan (71, not Rooney as reported elsewhere). A last-minute equaliser could've been a killer blow, but up stepped captain Matthew Falconer to net an exquisite 25-yard free-kick (90+2). 4-3 Jags! Surely they could hold it this time? Ryan Paterson soon answered, taking the ball for a run and he drilled it home (90+6) to seal a famous 5-3 win over the Scottish Cup holders! |
| 18. Fri-18-Oct-2024 [h] L1-3 Ross County (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 6) |
| – 3.00pm, Petershill Park. Storey, Rooney, Low, Monaghan (Allam), Johnston, Dolan, Docherty (Campbell), FALCONER (pen), MacKay (Paterson), Williamson (Fullarton), McKenna (Urse). Unused sub: Cameron (GK). |
| – 2-0 to County at the break was a fair scoreline after a first half that saw a flat performance from the young Jags and more direct, physical and effective work from the visitors. 3 changes at the break (Allam, Urse & Fullarton), and a further 2 later in the match, did little to effect improvement, although Paterson’s running certainly caused some trouble for the County back line in the second half. A 70th minute penalty from Falconer ended up being a consolation after County restored their two goal cushion a few minutes later. A grey and rainy afternoon at Petershill. |
| 19. Fri-25-Oct-2024 [a] D1-1 Falkirk (CAS U-18s League Cup - game 3) |
| – 7.00pm, Falkirk Stadium. Storey, Dolan, Monaghan, Rooney, Low, McKenna, Urse (Williamson), Falconer, Paterson (Docherty), Gaughan (Campbell), MACKAY. Frustration for the Young Jags as a late concession dents the hope of qualification for the semi finals. Thistle now need to beat QOS in the last game and hope that 2 other results go their way. |
| – Thistle were ahead after 8 minutes as Chrissy MacKay continued his good scoring record in this competition taking a great through ball from Matthew Falconer, rounding the goalkeeper before slotting home through the last defender’s legs. Thistle continued to have the greater share of possession for the remainder of the half but were unable to carve out many clear cut chances and went in at half time 1-0 up. In the second half the introduction of Docherty and movement of Ben McKenna up into the left side of attack, both added to Thistle’s threat and helped contribute to an increase in possession in the attacking half. With 8 minutes to go, MacKay outpaced the Falkirk right-back to get in behind, and felt he had a strong claim for a penalty as he was hauled back when through on goal. No pen was the ref’s decision, much to the frustration of the Thistle players and coaching staff. In typical Thistle fashion, this proved to be costly as Falkirk equalised from a corner with less than 2 minutes of normal time left on the clock. |
| 20. Fri-01-Nov-2024 [a] L0-7 Livingston (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 7) |
| – 7.45pm, Almondvale. It's a 3rd straight league defeat. Outclassed, and the heaviest league beating for many a year. |
| – In what has been a strong start to the season, this result was both an outlier and also hugely disappointing. Poor performance levels right across the team meant that Livingston (a more experienced eleven) were stronger and better in almost every area of the park. |
| 21. Fri-08-Nov-2024 [h] W1-0 Dundee (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 8) |
| – 6.00pm, Petershill Park. Storey, Dolan, Waddell, Monaghan (Allan, 45), Paterson (Low, 50), Lockhart, Falconer (Docherty, 45), McKenna (Fullerton, 70), ROONEY, MacKay (Braid 65), Gaughan. |
| – Back home and back to winning ways in the league. An absolutely relentless performance from Thistle was exactly the right reaction to last week’s disappointing result and it was an excellent goal that ended up winning it. After 30 minutes of high press from Thistle that looked certain to produce a goal, it actually fell to right back Liam Rooney to drive forward and, as it opened up in front of him, he took the opportunity to score an absolute cracker from around 25yds into the top left corner. Thistle had several more chances in the second half and, although Gaughan’s pace really troubled the Dundee back line, he couldn’t quite find the finish he deserved. With 9 of the squad involved in the Reserves match against Rangers earlier in the week, Mark Wilson drew on several U16s to allow some rotation in the team, and all younger players did well with the minutes they got. |
| 22. Fri-15-Nov-2024 [h] W4-2 Queen of the South (CAS U-18s League Cup - game 4) |
| – 7.00pm, Petershill Park. Storey (Sloan, 45), Dolan, Waddell (Allan, 77), Monaghan, Rooney, Docherty (Urse, 40) FALCONER, McKenna, Paterson (Williamson, 60), MacKay (BRAID, 77), GAUGHAN (2). All subs used. Jags finish 3rd of 8 in the group, and it's an agonizing exit; Falkirk's late equalizer a few weeks back proved to be a killer blow… |
| – An action packed first half saw Thistle ahead after 12 minutes with Mackay and Falconer linking up as they have done so many times this season before Falconer finished smartly from close range. A second goal soon followed as, in the 20th minute, MacKay held off his defender to send Gaughan through one on one with the keeper, from where he finished expertly, lifting the ball over his head and into the waiting net. In the 28th minute Queens pulled one back after a determined move down the right hand side ended in a neat finish from within the 6yd box. Jags went in ahead 2-1 at the break, but not before Docherty was substituted off around 40 minutes with a nasty looking shoulder injury, most likely a dislocation; hopefully he’ll make a speedy recovery as he is a busy and effective force in the Thistle midfield. The second half saw Queens get back on level terms after the Thistle keeper failed to secure a diagonal ball into the box and it fell into the path of the on-rushing Queen of The South attacker. Thistle weren’t to be stopped though, and Gaughan rounded off an excellent performance as he grabbed his second of the match in 75 minutes after good link up play on the right involving Rooney and Monaghan. A narrow lead became a good bit more comfortable 5 minutes later when U16 striker Jack Braid held off the Queen’s centre half off in a physical and fast foot race, before slotting in smartly at the near post. |
| 23. Sun-01-Dec-2024 [a] L0-1 Banks O' Dee (Scottish Cup 4th Round) |
| – 2.00pm, Spain Park. Storey (Cameron, 45), Dolan, Waddell, Allan (Paterson, 45), Rooney (Williamson, 80) Falconer, McKenna, Lockhart, Low, MacKay (Horn, 45), Gaughan (Braid, 81). All subs used. |
| – A single deflected goal in 16 minutes was enough to see Thistle exit the Scottish Youth Cup in the last 16, in a match and a result that was a far cry from their victory over holders Rangers in the previous round. Notable incidents included first team squad player Thomas Horn returning to match play for the first time after 6 months out, and goalkeeper Connor Storey unfortunately receiving a bad facial injury from the boot of an attacker just before half-time. |
| 24. Fri-13-Dec-2024 [h] D1-1 Hamilton Academical (Friendly) |
| – 6.00pm, Petershill Park. HORN. |
| 25. Fri-31-Jan-2025 [h] W4-0 Airdrieonians (Friendly) |
| – 6.00pm, Petershill Park. It’s been a bit of a long lay-off over winter! With no league fixture this week (and a match vs Ayr postponed the previous week due to the extreme weather), Mark Wilson’s U18s took on Airdrie in a friendly at Petershill and used the opportunity to give some trialists some match time as well as re-introducing a couple of players who have been out for several weeks. Trialist (Storey 72), Low, DOLAN, Trialist (Waddell 72), Rooney, McKenna, Falconer (Docherty 45), Lockhart, Paterson (MACKAY (2) 70), GAUGHAN, Trialist (Johnston 70). |
| – Thistle led at half-time (1-0) after Gaughan’s 20 min strike (excellently assisted by Matty Falconer) was too much for the Airdrie keeper to handle at the first attempt and it ended up looping over him into the net. Overall Thistle had the bulk of the ball and the chances in this half and probably felt they could have made more of their pressure. Half-time saw the introduction of Docherty (for fellow midfielder Falconer, who made the most of his minutes playing after several matches on the bench for the first team) and he quickly looked back to his best after a long absence resulting from a dislocated shoulder sustained against Queen of The South at the end of 2024. Airdrie dominated the first 20 mins of the half and were probably unlucky not to draw level; in response, around 65-70 mins Wilson looked to his bench to change things up and introduced both Mackay and Johnston (both returning from extended absences) and subsequently Conor Storey in goals, who had been absent since sustaining a fractured cheek in the Scottish Youth Cup game in December. Two quick-fire goals from Mackay followed by a belter of a finish from full-back Liam Dolan meant the scoreline started to look a little more lopsided in the closing period. |
| 26. Fri-07-Feb-2025 [h] L3-4 St Johnstone (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 9) |
| – 6.00pm, Petershill Park. McKENNA, GAUGHAN, LOCKHART. |
| – Thistle led at half-time through a goal from Ben McKenna. Second half goals from Ryan Gaughan and Nick Lockhart looked to have it won; Thistle led 3-1 with ten minutes left to play but switched off in a disastrous late spell. A real sore one. |
| 27. Fri-21-Feb-2025 [a] L1-3 Ross County (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 10) |
| – 1.00pm, Highland Football Academy. Storey (Trialist 70), Mann, Waddell, Dolan (Trialist HT), Low, McKenna, Lockhart, Docherty, Fullerton, MACKAY (McCormick 70), Braid. Unused Sub: Paterson. |
| – Thistle took the lead in 13 minutes after top scorer MacKay rounded the Ross County keeper to finish off an excellent team move from back to front. County equalised early in the second half and went on to score again in 82 and 87 minutes. Alarmingly, that's the second time this month the Jags have been turned over late in the second half. Bottom of the league, albeit with games in hand to the sides above. |
| 28. Fri-28-Feb-2025 [h] W2-0 Dunfermline Athletic (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 11) |
| – 6.00pm, Petershill Park. Storey, Mann, Waddell, Dolan, LOW (Paterson 70), McKenna, Lockhart, Docherty (Baldwin 65), Fullerton (Gibson 70), MacKay (Gaughan 65), HORN (Allan 78). Unused Subs: Young (GK), McCormick. |
| – Back to winning ways after a couple of disappointing late collapses in the most recent league fixtures for the Young Jags, and an important one as it allows Thistle to leapfrog Dunfermline and Ayr Utd and move up to 7th in the league. Goals came from Thomas Horn (1st half penalty) and Jamie Low (a thunderous drive into the top right corner around 10 mins into the second half). Thistle's resilience was tested however after an Alex Mann red card with 12 minutes to go meant that what had been a comfortable performance was a little more challenging. |
| 29. Fri-07-Mar-2025 [h] D1-1 Livingston (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 12) |
| – 6.00pm, Petershill Park. Storey, Rooney, Waddell, Dolan, Low (Paterson 55), McKenna (Trialist 65), Lockhart, Falconer (Docherty 55), Fullerton (Allan 55), MacKay (Gibson 65), Gaughan. All subs used. With Mark Wilson on the touchlines and Brian Graham in the stands, the first team management duo continue to be the hardest working men in football and it's refreshing to see the link between youth and the professional phase at the club being developed/supported. |
| – A fairly even contest between the young Jags and recent Scottish Youth Cup Semi-finalists Livingston, with the home side edging the possession and chances over the 90 minutes. Having played fast, flowing and attacking football previously, it was a different Livingston approach in this match with an emphasis towards long-ball football and physicality, with Thistle persisting with their current commitment to play quick and neat passages of play; ultimately, this meant the sides reached a stalemate at 1-1, with the only goals coming in the first half from a Livingston penalty (Mauchin, 40) and a deflected cross from Dylan Fullerton forcing an equaliser (42, OG). |
| 30. Tue-11-Mar-2025 [h] W7-1 Ayr United (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 13) |
| – 5.00pm, Petershill Park. Young, Rooney, Waddell, Dolan, Low, McKenna, Lockhart, Docherty, Paterson (Fullerton 60), GIBSON (GAUGHAN (3) 61), Horn (MACKAY (2) 61). Unused sub: Sloan (U16s GK). 1 x OG. Modern apprentice Thomas Horn (currently on loan to Cumbernauld Utd) was eligible and available for this Tuesday night catch-up fixture, and he went straight into the starting line-up at number 9. |
| – This game was more closely contested than the hefty scoreline suggests, with Ayr Utd taking the lead inside the first 10 minutes of the match. Thistle then drew level within a few minutes via a deflected Paterson cross which looped over the Ayr goalkeeper's head. A spell of sustained pressure in the period that followed saw the hosts take the lead through a close range finish from Gibson after good work down the left by Paterson again. A half-time scoreline of 2-1 was broadly reflective of a slightly lacklustre half of football with the Thistle 4-3-3 formation running into traffic in the Ayr half repeatedly. 15 minutes into the second half and assistant head-coach Craig Reid (taking the 18s in Mark Wilson's absence) rung the changes, moving to a 3-5-2 and introducing MacKay and Gaughan upfront to run riot, and run riot they did. Five goals between them in the next 20 minutes with last year's top scorer Ryan Gaughan just pipping his strike partner in the race to a hat trick. Final score 7-1 and the young Jags continue their steady climb up the league table. Notable mention to Thistle GK Logan Young who was excellent with the ball at his feet and when called into action. |
| 31. Fri-14-Mar-2025 [a] D0-0 Dundee (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 14) |
| – 7.30pm, Caird Park. A late venue switch away from the planned Dens Park. Storey, Mann, Waddell, Dolan, Low (Gibson 70), Fullerton, McKenna, Docherty (McCormick 70), Baldwin, Gaughan (Braid 65), MacKay (Paterson 70). Unused sub: Young (GK). |
| – Not a bad point away to the surprise Scottish Cup finalists, although this was a somewhat uninspiring affair, without many clear cut chances for either side. Still, 4 weeks after hitting bottom, the Young Jags are now in the top half split with 2 to play! Crunch game ahead at Peasy next Friday night vs ICT. |
| 32. Fri-21-Mar-2025 [h] W3-0 Inverness Caledonian Thistle (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 15) |
| – 6.00pm, Petershill Park. Storey (Young 70), Mann, Waddell, Dolan, Low (Gaughan 70), Fullerton (Gibson 70), MCKENNA, Docherty, Baldwin, MacKay (BRAID 65), PATERSON. A crucial 3 points; avoiding a 6 goal defeat at home to Morton next Friday will now ensure a Top 4 place at the split. |
| – A strong first half performance and goals from Ryan Paterson and Ben McKenna gave the young Jags a deserved 2-0 lead at half-time. U-16 striker Jack Braid secured the points with a good finish from within the box with less than 10 minutes to go, ensuring the win which allows Thistle to once again leapfrog Inverness into fourth place in the league. |
| 33. Fri-28-Mar-2025 [h] W2-1 Greenock Morton (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 16) |
| – 6.00pm, Petershill Park. Storey, Mann (Monaghan 78), Waddell, Dolan, Low, Fullerton (McCormick 70), McKenna, DOCHERTY, Lockhart (Gibson 70), HORN (MacKay 45), Paterson (Gaughan 70). Unused Sub: Young (GK). Top 4 secured in fine style with a victory over the champions elect. |
| – The league leaders visited Petershill Park hoping to move one game closer to securing the title, however they met a well organised, resilient and confident Thistle side, who were coming into the match unbeaten in five. It was the away side that took the lead after 20 minutes though, a pass back to central defence coming up short, allowing the Morton forward to nick in smartly and finish over the top of the on-rushing Storey. Undeterred, the young Jags stuck to their game plan, moving the ball quickly and effectively, creating a series of chances and opportunities over the remainder of the first half. They were rewarded after 35 mins when good work on the left by Paterson allowed Thomas Horn to beat his man to the ball and finish neatly passed the Morton keeper. Thistle took the lead less than five minutes later when Steven Docherty (who was excellent all game) found space inside the box to turn and drill the ball into the bottom left corner. The second half was a more evenly contested affair with Morton looking to come back into it, however a rash challenge by their number 8 resulted in a second yellow and left them finishing the last fifteen minutes with 10 men on the pitch. Overall a good and well deserved win for Thistle which guaranteed their spot in the top four and post-split football now beckons. |
| 34. Fri-11-Apr-2025 [a] W2-1 Livingston (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 17) |
| – 7.45pm, Almondvale Stadium. Storey, MANN, Waddell (Monaghan 75), Dolan, Low, Rooney (Fullerton 45), McKenna, Falconer (Gibson 65), Lockhart (Docherty 45), MACKAY (Braid 65), Paterson. Unused Sub: Young (GK). |
| – First post-split fixture for the Young Jags saw a trip to Livingston, and sweet revenge for the hammering received there back in November. Early goals from Alex Mann and Chrissy MacKay put Thistle 2-0 up in the first 30 minutes; Livingston pulled one back relatively quickly to cut the margin heading into half time. A tight second half saw chances for both sides, however Thistle held out and took a well deserved three points and move to within 2 points of 2nd place in the league. 7 matches undefeated, this has been a decent run for the Thistle youngsters and they will be keen to keep it going as they head to Perth next week to take on St Johnstone. |
| 35. Fri-18-Apr-2025 [a] W4-1 St Johnstone (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 18) |
| – 4.00pm, McDiarmid Park 3G. Storey (Young 70), Mann, Waddell, Low (Monaghan 70), Fullerton, MCKENNA, DOCHERTY, FALCONER (Gibson 70), Lockhart (McCormick 70), MACKAY, Paterson (Braid 70). All subs used. With Livingston playing Morton in a later kick-off, the young Jags knew that a win in Perth would let them leapfrog St Johnstone and Livi and move into second place in the league, for the first time this season. |
| – Two first half goals for Thistle were good enough for a lead at the break. The first was a result of excellent link-up play between Ben McKenna and Steven Docherty on the left hand side, with McKenna finishing smartly under the advancing keeper. The second saw the roles reversed with Mckenna assisting the build-up and Docherty finishing well at the near post. Into the second half, and MacKay grabbed a relatively early goal to put Thistle 3-0 up and comfortable, with Falconer adding a fourth soon after. St Johnstone did get one back late-on but it proved to be nothing but a consolation. |
| 36. Thu-24-Apr-2025 [h] D1-1 Greenock Morton (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 19) |
| – 7.30pm, Petershill Park. Storey, Mann, Waddell, Low, Monaghan, Rooney (Lockhart 45), McKenna, Docherty, Falconer (Gibson 70), MacKay, PATERSON (Braid 70). Unused Sub: Young (GK). With the first team playing on Friday night this week, this match against recently-crowned league winners Morton was brought forward to the Thursday night at Petershill. |
| – An early goal for Morton was reflective of a lacklustre start from the Young Jags, however as the first half progressed they started to come more into it and play the sharp, attacking football that has seen them go 8 matches undefeated prior to this and, 5 minutes before the break, Ryan Paterson levelled the match with a goal from right hand side of the box after some neat build-up from Thistle. Into the second half and there was little to separate the teams over the piece, however Thistle had to defend fairly resiliently over the last 10 minutes after (another) Mann red card saw them reduced to 10 men with 84 on the clock. Final score 1-1 and Thistle remain second in the league with 3 matches still to play. |
| 37. Fri-02-May-2025 [h] W3-2 Livingston (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 20) |
| – 6.00pm, Petershill Park. Injury and absences across the 18s group meant that Craig Reid leaned into the U16s squad to bolster his starting line-up and bench for this 2nd vs 3rd clash with Livingston at Petershill. Young (Storey 45), Waddell (Johnston 45), Low, MONAGHAN, Fullerton, McKenna, Docherty (Allen 80), Urse, Gibson (Campbell 65), Paterson, BRAID (2). All subs used. |
| – An early goal for Livingston came within the first 10 minutes after a misplaced kick out by the Thistle goalie left the advancing Livingston front line through on goal. The young Jags started to fight back as the first half progressed and, after good work on the left by Mckenna and Paterson, U16s striker Jack Braid levelled the match inside 30 minutes. On the stroke of half-time, Braid grabbed another, finishing neatly into the bottom right after a smart ball forward by Charlie Waddell. Into the second half and an early equaliser for Livingston suggested this game might eventually play out as a draw, however Matthew Monaghan had other ideas and scored on 90+2 after a Thistle corner from the right. This match extends the run to 10 undefeated and galvanises 2nd place in the league. |
| 38. Wed-14-May-2025 [h] L1-3 St Johnstone (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 21) |
| – 6.30pm, Firhill. Conor Storey, Ben McKenna, Charlie Waddell (Jake McCormick 75), Robbie Johnston, Matthew Monaghan, Liam Rooney (Rudi Campbell 60), Nick Lockhart, Stephen Docherty, Matthew Falconer (Dylan Fullerton 60), RYAN PATERSON, Chrissy Mackay (Bradley Gibson 45). Unused sub: Lewis Sloan (U16 GK). |
| – The 10 match unbeaten stretch ends for the U18s as St Johnstone take all three points, but still finish in 4th, 2 places behind the young Jags. It was scrappy on a poor Firhill pitch and a late Ryan Paterson consolation was the only goal for Thistle. |
| 39. Mon-19-May-2025 [h] L1-2 Greenock Morton (CAS Performance U-18s League - game 22) |
| – 6.00pm, Firhill. Cameron (Storey 45), McKenna (Gibson 75), Waddell (Johnston 75), Monaghan, Dolan (Mann 65), Low, Rooney, Lockhart, FALCONER, Paterson (Docherty 65), MacKay. All subs used. In the final game of the season, it was 2nd versus 1st in the league, with recently crowned champions visiting Firhill to close out a decent campaign for both sides. |
| – The young Jags started brightly with Paterson and MacKay pressing the Morton defence at each opportunity and, after Nick Lockhart gathered the ball in midfield, he fed Matthew Falconer who finished from 20 yards to give Thistle the lead after 12 minutes. In a bright first half, Thistle had more possession and opportunity but quickly rued that when Morton equalised after half an hour with a well executed counter attack. Two minutes before half time, Morton took the lead after the Thistle defence couldn't clear the ball after a corner from the left. The second half was relatively evenly contested with limited clear cut chances at either end and no further goals. |
| 2024-25 Youth (U-18s) summary notes |
|
P39 W21 D7 L11 (1.795 ppg)
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| see also: |
| 2024-25 (First Team) → |
| 2024-25 (Reserves) → |
| 2024-25 (Z-List) → |
| 2024-25 (Women) → |
| 2024-25 (Scottish Youth Cup) → |
