15th Sep 2023 Ayr United 0 Partick Thistle 4 (SPFL Championship - game 5)

matches:2023-24: ← 11game 1213 →

Match Information

			Lee Bullen		Kris Doolan			36y, 9m, 4d
					Kieran Ngwenya; Lewis Neilson; Brian Graham; Kerr McInroy; Aidan Fitzpatrick
					Harry Milne; Wasiri Williams; Tomi Adeloye; Scott Robinson; Wes McDonald
					Brian Graham (1-0, 2‎ mins); ‎Steven Lawless (2-0, 58‎ mins); Steven Lawless (3-0, 67‎ mins); Tomi Adeloye (4-0, 81 mins)
					Kerr McInroy (1-0, 2‎ mins); Aaron Muirhead (2-0, 58‎ mins); Stuart Bannigan (3-0, 67‎ mins); Steven Lawless (4-0, 81 mins)
Roy Syla; Nick McAllister; Patrick Reading‎					Aaron Muirhead
Ahkeem Rose (Fraser Bryden, 66 mins); Roy Syla (Paul Smith, 79 mins); Mark McKenzie (Franny Amartey, 79 mins); Jack Young (Scott Tomlinson, 90+2 mins); Logan Chalmers (Jack Senga, 90+2 mins)					Jack McMillan (Zander MacKenzie, 40 mins); Kerr McInroy (Scott Robinson, 69 mins); Brian Graham (Tomi Adeloye, 80 mins); Ben Stanway (Blair Alston, 80 mins)
			Charlie Albinson		Jamie Sneddon			26y, 0m, 9d
			Nick McAllister		Jack McMillan			25y, 8m, 28d
			Patrick Reading		Kieran Ngwenya			20y, 11m, 21d
			George Stanger		Lewis Neilson			20y, 4m, 0d
			former Jag Sean McGinty		Aaron Muirhead			33y, 0m, 16d
			Jack Young		Stuart Bannigan			30y, 11m, 29d
			Roy Syla		Ben Stanway			18y, 11m, 26d
			future Jag Logan Chalmers		Steven Lawless			32y, 5m, 3d
			Ahkeem Rose		Brian Graham			35y, 9m, 23d
			Mark McKenzie		Kerr McInroy			23y, 0m, 15d
			Jamie Murphy		Aidan Fitzpatrick			22y, 5m, 26d
								26y, 4m, 7d
			Robbie Mutch		David Mitchell			33y, 5m, 11d
			Elicha Ahui		Wasiri Williams			23y, 5m, 14d
			Franny Amartey		Scott Robinson			31y, 6m, 4d
			Scott Tomlinson		Ben Williamson			22y, 1m, 8d
			Fraser Bryden		Blair Alston			31y, 5m, 23d
			Paul Smith		Wes McDonald			26y, 4m, 11d
			Finn Ecrepont		Zander MacKenzie			18y, 0m, 18d
			Frankie Musonda		Ricco Diack			18y, 4m, 8d
			Jack Senga		Tomi Adeloye			27y, 6m, 29d

notes

Both sides generally in playing order. Originally scheduled for Saturday, 16th September, 2023. Brought forward as a live game for BBC Scotland.

Match Report

TTA report

McInroy set up Graham for a typical 3 yard "bundle-in" (73 secs). Sneddon who excelled in the torrential rain with a string of fine saves as Ayr enjoyed most of the first half possession. Lawless scored from 25 yards (58) and from 18 yards (67) for 3-0. Adeloye ran through and scored with his first touch (81). TV timing suggests 16 secs after he came on.

TTA man of the match

A string of crucial saves and safe handling in the pouring rain from JAMIE SNEDDON prevented the pendulum from swinging away as Ayr fought hard for the equaliser. Gave (the immense) Steven Lawless et al the platform to kill off the home side in the second 45. The determination to keep the clean-sheet was palpable in the second half too. Close to goalkeeping perfection.

Media report

David Irvine, 15-Sep-2023, Herald Scotland

Partick Thistle stormed into second place in the Scottish Championship as they ran riot over Ayr. Kris Doolan's side were ahead within 75 seconds at Somerset Park to kick-start a runaway victory on the road. Aidan Fitzpatrick slid the ball through for Kerr McInroy with just over a minute on the clock and he in turn picked out Brian Graham to bundle home from close range. Thistle's frontline had done their part but were reliant on goalkeeper Jamie Sneddon to keep the lead intact as he first turned a Roy Syla drive round the post before expertly denying Akheem Rose. Ayr stopper Charlie Albinson did deny Graham a second before the break as he brilliantly tipped over the bar on 43 minutes.

But the hosts would go on to concede a second and then crumble as Thistle took charge to fire themselves level on points with league leaders Dundee United and Raith Rovers albeit having played one more game. Steven Lawless doubled the advantage on 58 minutes as he sent a swirling strike into the top corner past the helpless Albinson. Ten minutes later and Lawless had another, this time he waltzed past two defenders before watching his deflected drive squirm under Albinson who had bee left wrong-footed. With just ten minutes left former Ayr striker Tomi Adeloye rubbed salt in the wounds as he slotted into the bottom corner with his first touch having climbed off the bench just seconds earlier for the visitors.

Reaction

Partick Thistle manager Kris Doolan (speaking to The Herald):

We had to defend for large parts of the first half, but we started brightly. Our goalkeeper was called upon and came up with some good saves. To come here and score four, this is a difficult place to come to, so we're absolutely delighted.

Ayr United head coach Lee Bullen (speaking to The Herald):

I thought in the first half that we were well in the game. When we lose the second goal, we just had a mad 20/25 minutes where we just didn't do enough. We've just got to hold our hands up. We've got to do better defensively.

Scrapbook

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The Sun, 16th September, 2023

Gallery

We're looking for a reliable (and free) solution that will enable us to embed photo galleries from the image hosting site, Flickr, so please get in touch → if you can help. Meantime, you can check Donald Wilson's excellent gallery by clicking on the image below; visit Flickr directly for the full gallery

Video Highlights

Option 1: extended highlights with commentary

(credits: Partick Thistle Fan 1876 / BBC Scotland )

Option 2: the standside view, no commentary

(credit: Ayr United FC )

Option 3: short highlights, no commentary

(credit: SPFL )

Option 4: post-match analysis

(credits: Partick Thistle Fan 1876 / BBC Scotland )

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Stats Watch

THREE-IN-A-ROW

● With his 9th competitive goal versus Ayr United, Brian Graham joins John Torbet and Johnny Ballantyne as Partick Thistle's all-time top goalscorer against 'the Honest Men'.

● 59-goal Brian Graham moves to outright 33rd in our Illustrated Top 50 competitive scorers chart.

● For the first time in his distinguished Thistle career Steven Lawless scores in a third consecutive competitive match, even adding a second for good measure!

● 48-goal Steven Lawless moves up to 46th in our Illustrated Top 50 competitive scorers chart, overtaking Mark Roberts.

● Super-sub Tomi Adeloye scores just 16 seconds after the resumption of play following his entry onto the pitch! Quite possibly this is the second quickest sub goal in our history, although such precise queries can never be scientific. Other quickfire counters came from Shea Gordon (6.5 secs) vs. Morton in 2019 and Jim Melrose (20 secs) in the Scottish Cup Semi Final versus Aberdeen in 1978.

● At the 11th time of asking, Thistle register their first competitive clean-sheet of 2023-24, ending the longest such season-opening run since 2003. It's Jamie Sneddon's first clean-sheet since February, 2023.

● For the very first time, Kris Doolan's Jags win three-in-a-row in the League.

ongoing sequences:

● 39 consecutive competitive appearances for Aidan Fitzpatrick, 3rd Dec 2022 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Jack McMillan - 52 games, 9th Jul 2022 to 4th Jun 2023. Club-record: Johnny Jackson - 313 games, 28th Aug 1926 to 25th Mar 1933.)

Stats Watch adheres to our stated definitions of League, League Max, Major Competitive, Competitive or All Games. Where there is no written qualification, you should presume that the Stat in question is compiled from the All Games criteria.

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