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matches:2018-19: ← 45game 4647 →

	former Jag / man. Ian McCall	Gary Caldwell	37y, 0m, 11d

		Stuart Bannigan; Joe Cardle; Aidan Fitzpatrick; Gary Harkins
		Jack McMillan; Craig Slater; Kris Doolan; Blair Spittal

		Shea Gordon (1-0, 17 mins)
		none (1-0, 17 mins)
Robbie Crawford; Liam Smith‎		Gary Harkins

Nicky Cadden (Declan McDaid, HT); Andy Murdoch (Alan Forrest, 71 mins); Robbie Crawford (Luke McCowan, 83 mins)		Scott McDonald (Kris Doolan, 35 mins); Aidan Fitzpatrick (Blair Spittal, 58 mins); Joe Cardle (Miles Storey, 73 mins)

	Ross Doohan	Jamie Sneddon	21y, 7m, 17d
	Daniel Harvie	Christie Elliott	27y, 10m, 28d
	former Jag Mark Kerr	James Penrice	20y, 4m, 1d
	Michael Rose	Sean McGinty	25y, 8m, 12d
	Michael Moffat	Steven Anderson	33y, 4m, 4d
	future Jag Robbie Crawford	Stuart Bannigan	26y, 7m, 6d
	Andy Murdoch	Shea Gordon	20y, 11m, 7d
	Liam Smith	Joe Cardle	32y, 2m, 16d
	Nicky Cadden	Scott McDonald	35y, 8m, 2d
	Calvin Miller	Aidan Fitzpatrick	18y, 1m, 3d
	former Jag Aaron Muirhead	Gary Harkins	34y, 3m, 21d

			26y, 11m, 21d

	Ellis Hare-Reid	Conor Hazard	21y, 1m, 18d
	future Jag Andy Geggan	Blair Spittal	23y, 4m, 4d
	Alan Forrest	Kris Doolan	32y, 4m, 12d
	former Jag Declan McDaid	Craig Slater	24y, 11m, 28d
	Finn Ecrepont	Miles Storey	25y, 3m, 19d
	Luke McCowan	Lewis Mansell	21y, 7m, 3d
		Steven Saunders	28y, 0m, 24d

	Teamlines derived from PTFC / SPFL. Thistle generally in playing order, Ayr in squad number order. Ayr filled only 6 of their 7 allocated bench slots.
	2429 (SPFL)

A half-volley by Gordon when the keeper flapped at a cross proved to be the winner (17). There were relatively few chances in the match but Thistle were comfortable even allowing for Ayr's better 2nd half performance. Their incisive counter-attacking deserved better but they saw the game out comfortably. A vital 3 points.

Partick Thistle move out of the relegation play-off place and up to sixth in the Scottish Championship after a win over third-top Ayr United. Shea Gordon's early strike means there are now only three points between Dunfermline Athletic in fifth and second-bottom Alloa Athletic. On-loan Motherwell midfielder Gordon fired his third goal of season as Thistle had better first-half chances. Ayr improved after the break but slump to a third consecutive defeat.

Ian McCall's side remain above Inverness Caledonian Thistle on goal difference having already secured a place in the promotion play-offs but clearly missed injured top scorer Lawrence Shankland. Thistle, now unbeaten in five, move above Greenock Morton, Queen of the South and Alloa, with Falkirk now three points adrift at the bottom. The victory for Gary Caldwell's side drags Dunfermline into the battle to avoid a relegation play-off spot with two games remaining. Thistle, for whom striker Kris Doolan made a 400th appearance as a substitute, host Ayr in their next match on Saturday but could have to do without Scott McDonald after the veteran former Australia striker went off with suspected concussion.

Ayr United manager Ian McCall:

It looked like a team fighting for their lives against a team going into the play-offs. We were hamstrung by what we could pick, with a lot of big players out, and there were a couple of contentious decisions - we felt it was a clear penalty in the first half and it looked like a foul on goalkeeper Ross Doohan at the goal. But Thistle deserved the three points. They fought really hard, they got their goal and that set them up to play on the counter-attack. We've got to make a decision about whether we want to try to win a couple of games or be fresh and fit for the play-offs - that was six of our players out tonight.

Partick Thistle manager Gary Caldwell:

Fantastic character, togetherness, spirit to come, in the position we are in, and perform like we did in the first half and then dig in when Ayr are always going to put you under pressure and we saw that out fairly comfortably. So it's a fantastic result and we have to recover now and build again for Saturday.

23-Apr-2019, bbc.com

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