26th Jul 2025 Ross County 1 Partick Thistle 3 (League Cup Group B - game 4)

matches:2025-26: ← 05game 0607 →

	Don Cowie	Mark Wilson	41y, 1m, 21d

		no changes
		no changes

Jordan White (3-1, 88 mins)‎		Robbie Crawford (1-0, 44 mins); Logan Chalmers (2-0, 64 mins); Ben Stanway (3-0, 84‎ mins)
Jay Henderson (3-1, 88 mins)‎		Luke McBeth (1-0, 44 mins); none (2-0, 64 mins); Tony Watt (3-0, 84‎ mins)
Ross Docherty; Declan Gallagher; Ronan Hale

Nicky Clark (Arron Lyall, HT); Adam Emslie (Jordan White, 55 mins); Ross Docherty (Jamie Lindsay, 67 mins); Kieran Phillips (Ben Crompton, 79 mins)		Tsoanelo Letsosa (Ben Stanway, 73 mins); Aidan Fitzpatrick (Steven Lawless, 78 mins); Robbie Crawford (Matthew Falconer, 85 mins); Tony Watt (Thomas Horn, 85 mins)

	Ross Laidlaw	Lewis Budinauckas	23y, 1m, 7d
	Ben Crompton	Cammy Logan	23y, 5m, 28d
	Lee O'Sullivan	Paddy Reading	26y, 1m, 27d
	former Jag Declan Gallagher	Daniel O'Reilly	30y, 3m, 15d
	Dylan Smith	Lee Ashcroft	31y, 10m, 27d
	former Jag Ross Docherty	Luke McBeth	25y, 10m, 17d
	Dean Cornelius	Robbie Crawford	31y, 1m, 4d
	Jay Henderson	Tsoanelo Letsosa	21y, 1m, 20d
	Ronan Hale	Tony Watt	31y, 6m, 27d
	Nicky Clark	Logan Chalmers	25y, 4m, 2d
	Adam Emslie	Aidan Fitzpatrick	24y, 4m, 6d

			26y, 9m, 2d

	Brad Foster	Josh Clarke	20y, 11m, 28d
	n-a	Luis Cameron	18y, 3m, 16d
	Kieran Phillips	Steven Lawless	34y, 3m, 14d
	Arron Lyall	Zander MacKenzie	19y, 10m, 28d
	George Robesten	Ben Stanway	20y, 10m, 6d
	Jordan White	Thomas Horn	18y, 6m, 15d
	Copeland Thain	Matthew Falconer	18y, 5m, 3d
	Lewis MacKay	Liam Dolan	16y, 2m, 29d
	Jamie Lindsay
	Joe Coyle

notes

Both sides generally in playing order.
Thistle listed 2 sub goalies and filled 8 of their 9 allocated bench slots.

TTA report

A spectacular 30-yard lob landed on the bar twice and dropped into Budinaukas' hands. McBeth split the defence and his pass was slotted home by Crawford (44). Chalmers found the top corner with a lovely bending shot from 22 yards (64) and Stanway finished off a pass by Watt just inside the "D" (84). Slack marking led to a header (88) but it was Thistle's day by some margin.

TTA man of the match

LUKE McBETH set the tone early with a hard-but-fair challenge and looked Premier class throughout, winning his battles and comfortable in possession. Always looked purposeful and dangerous when striding forward, and provided a defence-splitting killer assist for the opener.

Media report

David Forrest, 26-Jul-2025, ptfc.co.uk

Partick Thistle made it the perfect Premier Sports Group B campaign thanks to a 3-1 success against Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium in Dingwall. The fourth win in four group games was secured by superb goals from Robbie Crawford, Logan Chalmers and Ben Stanway with the Highland success booking a place in the last sixteen and it could even be a seeded spot dependant on Sunday’s St Mirren and Ayr United game. Head Coach Mark Wilson listed the same starting line-up as the one that defeated Queen of the South 2-0 on Tuesday night with new loan recruit, goalkeeper Josh Clarke, on the substitutes’ bench.

The Jags wearing their new ‘Cricket Cream’ Away Kit took kick-off with Crawford getting things going however play was quickly stopped when Luke McBeth was pulled up for an aerial challenge. McBeth was harshly penalised again a minute later however Lewis Budinauckas rose and clutched Jay Henderson’s free-kick. Thistle’s first attack almost brought a goal as Tony Watt found Ts’oanelo Lets’osa who brought out a save from Ross Laidlaw who stuck out a foot to keep out the midfielder’s low 10-yard shot finding the net. As the visitors continued to press Paddy Reading floated in an effort from the left that looked to be dropping into a dangerous area before County cleared. The Maryhill Men survived a scare on 12 minutes when Ronan Hale picked up on a loose ball 30 yards from Budinauckas’ goal and chipped the goalkeeper only to see his shot hit the bar and rise into the air and hit the bar again before being saved. Just after the quarter of an hour mark Chalmers twisted and turned past Len O’Sullivan before swinging over a left footed cross from the right that looked to be reaching the head of Crawford however, he was gently eased out of the way with Referee Lee not interested in penalty shouts.

On 20 minutes Watt sent Chalmers scampering clear on the right flank and he darted towards goal before seeing a curling drive blocked by Laidlaw’s legs. Watt was on the end of an aerial knock seven minutes later and returned to action with a ‘Lee Ashcroft’ style bandage however the striker showed no signs of it slowing him down on the half hour mark as he battled clear in the box before seeing a shot booted clear. Skipper Ashcroft showed his defensive skills on 33 minutes when he stood strong to block a Hale shot after the home striker turned and fired fiercely at the Thistle goal. Thistle raced to the other end and only a perfectly timed Declan Gallagher sliding tackle prevented Chalmers firing in a drive after Fitzpatrick had released him. A minute from the break the opening goal arrived, and it came from Wilson’s side and what a fine goal it was. McBeth moved forward with the ball 30 yards from the home goal and step inside team-mate Watt before sliding a diagonal through ball into the path of CRAWFORD who had timed a run in-behind the Staggies defence to perfection and he controlled with one touch before slotting past Laidlaw from 14 yards,

Reading won the first corner of the second half when his cross was turned behind Laidlaw’s goal with the play stopped after Dan O’Reilly headed the dead ball back across goal as Crompton had picked up a head knock. Left back Reading was involved again offensively on 50 minutes when he sent over a low ball that flashed across the six-yard line without finding a Thistle boot. Just before the hour mark Ashcroft made another brave block as he slid in to block a Dean Cornelius drive from 20 yards. McBeth was almost involved in a goal for a second time 17 minutes into the restart as he swivelled himself clear 20 yards out and swept in a shot that beat Laidlaw but also beat the goalkeeper’s right-hand post. There was a second goal on 64 minutes, and it was another cracker from The Jags as CHALMERS drifted in from the right and from the edge of the box, he curled a left footer high into the far corner. There was a scare shortly afterwards when Crompton headed wide from close-range with Budinauckas showing strong hands when he dealt with an Aaron Lyall drive 12 minutes from time. On 83 minutes it could have been three as Watt pierced the Ross County rear-guard to find substitute Stanway who hit a strong shot goalward only for Laidlaw to block. The pair combined again a minute later, and a goal came, with Watt accepting a rolled pass from the left from Chalmers and slipping it two feet further along the 18-yard line where STANWAY curled in a low first time shot. County grabbed a goal back in 88 minutes when Jordan White dived to head home a right-wing cross.

Reaction

Partick Thistle manager Mark Wilson (speaking to Jagzone):

It was a very good performance and a very controlled performance. Almost a perfect performance, albeit there was a wee blip at the end. The way that we moved the ball, the way that we were patient sometimes, we caused Ross County problems with our positioning, all really pleasing. And the quality of the goals, again, top notch. We didn't allow Ross County to build any sort of momentum and that's the other side of the game you have to work incredibly hard at, in terms of how and when we press and I think the message is clear, the fans can see that, the players are buying into it and we're incredibly difficult, at the minute, to play against.

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