27th Feb 2024 Ayr United 4 Partick Thistle 3 (SPFL Championship - game 25)

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matches:2023-24: ← 35game 3637 →

Match Information

			Scott Brown		Kris Doolan			37y, 2m, 16d
					no changes
					no changes
Nick McAllister (0-1, 15 mins); Kurt Willoughby (1-2, 43 mins); Kurt Willoughby (1-3, 45‎+‎2 mins); Harry McHugh (3-4, 84‎ mins)					Brian Graham (1-1, 33 mins); Tomi Adeloye (2-3, 78‎ mins); Jack Sanders (3-3, og 83‎ mins)
none (0-1, 15 mins); Mark McKenzie (1-2, 43 mins); Fraser Bryden (1-3, 45‎+‎2 mins); none (3-4, 84‎ mins)					Kerr McInroy (1-1, 33 mins); Harry Milne (2-3, 78‎ mins); Harry Milne (3-3, og 83‎ mins)
Harry McHugh; Nick McAllister
Mark McKenzie (Roy Syla, 75 mins); Jamie Murphy (Scott Tomlinson, 75 mins); Kurt Willoughby (Franny Amartey, 82 mins)					Kerr McInroy (Scott Robinson, 57 mins); Stuart Bannigan (Tomi Adeloye, 63 mins)
			Josh Clarke		Ross Stewart			28y, 10m, 17d
			Nick McAllister		Jack McMillan			26y, 2m, 9d
			Frankie Musonda		Harry Milne			27y, 3m, 29d
			Jack Sanders		Lewis Neilson			20y, 9m, 12d
			former Jag Sean McGinty		Aaron Muirhead			33y, 5m, 28d
			Ben Dempsey		Stuart Bannigan			31y, 5m, 10d
			Harry McHugh		Luke McBeth			24y, 5m, 18d
			Jamie Murphy		Steven Lawless			32y, 10m, 15d
			Mark McKenzie		Brian Graham			36y, 3m, 4d
			Kurt Willoughby		Kerr McInroy			23y, 5m, 27d
			Fraser Bryden		Aidan Fitzpatrick			22y, 11m, 7d
								28y, 6m, 25d
			Charlie Albinson		David Mitchell			33y, 10m, 23d
			Aiden McGeady		Wasiri Williams			23y, 10m, 26d
			Franny Amartey		Kieran Ngwenya			21y, 5m, 2d
			Paul Smith		Scott Robinson			31y, 11m, 15d
			Roy Syla		Blair Alston			31y, 11m, 4d
			Scott Tomlinson		Ben Stanway			19y, 5m, 7d
			Max Guthrie		Zander MacKenzie			18y, 5m, 30d
			Shaun Donnelly		Ricco Diack			18y, 9m, 20d
					Tomi Adeloye			28y, 0m, 10d

notes

Both sides generally in playing order. The network awards an assist to Mark McKenzie for Ayr's first, but his shot was completely knocked off-target by Thistle's Harry Milne, the 90 degree deflection putting it into the path of the goalscorer, so the reality is "no assist". The network awards no assist for Thistle's first goal but, although Kerr McInroy's shot was blocked, the (spinning) trajectory was bound for the scorer, Brian Graham, so an assist should be awarded. As always, we stick with the original (but now defunct) OPTA policy of awarding assists for own goals where appropriate, so Harry Milne gets our award for Thistle's third goal.

Match Report

TTA report

League's top scorers/3rd worse goals conceded. Defensive dithering led to the opener (15) but Graham nodded in a mis-hit shot (33). Goals 43 (back post) and 45+2 (Stewart lobbed) exploited terrible defending. Adeloye knocked in a deep cross (78) and an og levelled things (83) but poor play in midfield led to the winner from 18 yards a minute later.

TTA man of the match

STEVEN LAWLESS deserves it for his work-rate alone lately, and you always feel like there is hope when he's on the park.

Media report

Andy Burke, 27-Feb-2024, bbc.com

Kurt Willoughby's debut brace helped Ayr United edge a seven-goal thriller with Partick Thistle. Nick McAllister put the home side in front before Brian Graham marked his 150th Thistle appearance with the equaliser. A quick-fire double just before the break from Willoughby gave the hosts a 3-1 half-time lead. Tomi Adeloye and a Jack Sanders' own goal brought Partick level but Harry McHugh's late strike won it for Ayr. Ayr are fifth, five points off the promotion play-off places, while Thistle are six points ahead in third.

Reaction

Partick Thistle manager Kris Doolan:

A sore one, really sore. For the majority of the game we played well enough but the goals we give away, they get worse every time I see them. We get back to 3-3 and then within about 60 seconds the ball is in the back of our net. There's huge things to learn and get better at, but I'm fed up hearing my own voice saying the same thing. You make a mistake, you get punished at this level.

Ayr United manager Scott Brown:

It was exciting for everyone. Both teams tried to play and I think the wind helped in both halves. We played with it in the first half and scored three goals and they did the exact same in the second half. We're always looking both ways [in the league]. It's such a tight league, anyone can beat anyone. Lucky enough to get three points today and now we look forward to Dunfermline on Saturday and try and build some momentum.

Video Highlights

(credits: Ayr United FC )

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Stats Watch

GRAHAM'S LANDMARK SOURED

● Brian Graham hits the 70 goals mark in all competitions and moves into the All-Time Top 25 in that particular scoring chart.

● 11-goal Brian Graham extends his lead as the club's all-time highest scorer versus Ayr United.

● Once again, 50-goal Partick Thistle leapfrog Dundee United to go outright top as highest scorers in the Championship.

● Ross Stewart becomes the first Thistle 'keeper since Archie MacLean (1987) to concede 3+ goals in his first two competitive games.

● Conceding 3+ in 4 consecutive games is a freak-streak, but was last seen as recently as November 2022 under Ian McCall, who had to endure 5-in-a-row at that time.

● Thistle fans have witnessed 3.76 goals-per-game in the league this season, the highest total in the second tier since 1900, when formations only had 2 defenders.

● Jags remain 3rd, but are now closer to 2nd bottom than to 2nd top.

ongoing sequences:

● 53 consecutive competitive appearances for Steven Lawless, 18th Feb 2023 to date, equalling his personal-best run in the team. (Longest run since: Blair Spittal - 57 games, 31st Mar 2018 to 4th May 2019. 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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