12th Sep 2025 Partick Thistle 2 Airdrieonians 1 (SPFL Championship - game 5)

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matches:2025-26: ← 11game 1213 →

41y, 3m, 7d	Mark Wilson	Danny Lennon former Jag

no changes
no changes

Daniel O'Reilly (1-1, 77‎ mins); Alex Samuel (2-1, 82 mins)		Cole McKinnon (0-1, 3 mins)
Aidan Fitzpatrick (1-1, 77‎ mins); none (2-1, 82 mins)		none (0-1, 3 mins)
‎Ben Stanway; Daniel O'Reilly		Lewis McGrattan; Sean McGinty; Aaron Reid

Ben Stanway (Oisin Smyth, 62 mins); Tony Watt (Alex Samuel, 62 mins); Robbie Crawford (Kyle Turner, 67 mins); Logan Chalmers (Steven Lawless, 67 mins); Tsoanelo Letsosa (Luke McBeth, 84 mins)		Cole McKinnon (Dean McMaster, 65 mins); Chris Mochrie (Aaron Reid, 76 mins); Lewis McGrattan (Cammy Cooper, 85 mins); Jamie Barjonas (Tate Xavier-Jones, 85 mins)

21y, 1m, 15d	Josh Clarke	Matthew Connelly
21y, 5m, 24d	Ben McPherson	Craig Ross
26y, 3m, 14d	Paddy Reading	Lewis Strapp
30y, 5m, 1d	Daniel O'Reilly	Sean McGinty former Jag
32y, 0m, 14d	Lee Ashcroft	Aidan Wilson
20y, 11m, 23d	Ben Stanway	Cole McKinnon former Jag
31y, 2m, 21d	Robbie Crawford	Charlie Telfer
21y, 3m, 6d	Tsoanelo Letsosa	Lewis McGrattan
31y, 8m, 14d	Tony Watt	Chris Mochrie
25y, 5m, 19d	Logan Chalmers	Euan Henderson
24y, 5m, 23d	Aidan Fitzpatrick	Jamie Barjonas former Jag

26y, 0m, 15d

23y, 2m, 24d	Lewis Budinauckas	Cade Melrose
23y, 7m, 15d	Cammy Logan	Dean McMaster
27y, 10m, 2d	Kyle Turner	Gavin Gallagher
25y, 4m, 7d	Oisin Smyth	Aaron Reid
29y, 11m, 23d	Alex Samuel	Liam McStravick
34y, 5m, 0d	Steven Lawless	Tate Xavier-Jones
26y, 0m, 3d	Luke McBeth	Cammy Cooper
18y, 8m, 1d	Thomas Horn	Rhys Armstrong
18y, 6m, 20d	Matthew Falconer	Cole Williams

notes

Both sides generally in playing order.
Originally scheduled for 3.00pm on Saturday 13th September, brought forward for BBC Scotland.
Just before kick-off there was a minutes applause for Thistle legend and former Airdrie manager, Jimmy Bone, whose death was announced on 2nd September 2025, aged 75.

TTA report

For the most part Thistle were disjointed and they fell behind to a 20-yarder following a corner (3). The keeper denied "T" with a fine save but generally they posed few problems for Airdrie who were compact and "managed" the game. Substitutions finally had an impact. O'Reilly's back-post header at a corner (77) and Samuel's loose-ball shot inside the box (82) earned the points.

TTA man of the match

Something had to change to break Airdrie's resistance and it was the strength of Thistle's bench that made the difference. The physical presence of ALEX SAMUEL had Airdrie's defence scrambling to hold it together and his menacing nuisance was eventually rewarded with the instinctive toe-poke that sealed the turnaround and three points.

Media report

Craig Vassie, 12-Sep-2025, ptfc.co.uk

Partick Thistle completed a second half comeback to defeat visitors Airdrieonians 2-1 thanks to goals from Dan O’Reilly and Alex Samuel. Samuel is the first Welshman to score for Thistle since Maurice Parry, who scored his only goal in a 3-2 defeat to Hamilton Academical in January of 1910. Tonight’s victory sees Thistle level on points with St Johnstone, Raith Rovers, and Arbroath with 10. Thistle came into tonight with no changes since 30th August’s win over Raith Rovers. New signing from St. Mirren Oisin Smyth was named on the bench whilst Zander Mackenzie had picked up a knock and was not a part of tonight’s proceedings.

The game kicked off after a minute’s applause remembering the legendary Jimmy Bone who sadly passed away last week. Bone famously scored Thistle’s fourth goal in that historic 4-1 win over Celtic in 1971. It was Airdrie who had an early chance in the opening minute when they won a corner. Ex-Jag Cole McKinnon opened the scoring for the visitors, following a second corner the ball fell to his feet from outside the box and his strongly hit shot found the back of the net to make it 1-0. A few minutes later McKinnon had another go from outside the box but this time it sailed over the bar. Tony Watt had a volley attempt go over the bar on minute 12. Seconds later there was appeals for handball from another ex jag Sean McGinty however the referee waved played on. 15 minutes in Logan Chalmers stood over a free kick outside the box, his cross found Watt’s head, but his effort was caught by Airdrie keeper Matthew Connelly. Another penalty appeal was waved on when Aidan Fitzpatrick was brought down in the box following a corner. The chances kept coming as O’Reilly’s header went over the bar from a further Chalmers corner. The same thing happened only two minutes later this time from Aidan Fitzpatrick’s cross. Lewis McGrattan’s attempt from 25 yards out tested Josh Clarke who got a hand to it to send it out for a corner. Ts’oanelo Lets’osa’s shot from inside the box was saved by Matthew Connelly. Tony Watt appeared to be brought down In the box, but the referee was having none of it. The last action of the half and Thistle went in trailing.

When the second half got underway Thistle were strong. Lets’osa cleverly won the ball back which Watt picked up, his pass to Robbie Crawford was successful until he was dispossessed before any chance could happen. On minute 61, deadline day signing Smyth made his debut and shortly afterwards from an Airdrie corner the ball landed in front of Craig Ross whose attempt went over the bar. A Chalmers attempt went wide and that was his last of the game as he came off for Steven Lawless. From a corner Lee Ashcroft swung his head at the ball but not enough to challenge Connelly. However on 77 minutes Aidan Fitzpatrick whipped in a corner which found the head of O’Reily who brought things level 1-1. Looking to add another, multiple attempts were blocked but in the end Alex Samuel’s shot found the back of the net for his first goal in Thistle colours. Paddy Reading cleared the ball off the line with two minutes to go. Mere minutes later Lewis Strapp’s attempt was headed away by the captain Lee Ashcroft.

Reaction

Partick Thistle manager Mark Wilson (speaking to the media c/o 'The Thistle'

I thought the start of it was pretty sloppy from us. Too many unforced errors and that was probably from the first ten seconds. A loose touch led to an attack and we’re up against it. We didn't quite recover for a good part of that first half. It seemed to be the same pattern, struggled to break through them. As the half wore on we got a couple of opportunities. So I could see a light at the end of the tunnel in that respect. That's why we kept things the same. I didn't rant or rave or anything like that at half-time – ‘Just stick to what we're doing and we'll get the result’. And that worked out that way. I didn't want to change things at half-time because I thought we'd get a grip of the game, which we did. But it's important then when you're about 60 minutes in that you can look around and see strength on your bench. I thought those guys that came on really took what we'd done in that 10-15 minute period and ran with it. We pinned kind of everything in there and we got the rewards for it. It's hard work being a sub. Hard work not being the starting XI. But to have that bit between your teeth to come on and help the full group out and drag them over the line is really pleasing for any coaching team. And I think we've got that just now. And that's hard to get in a team. I've been in loads of teams that don't have that. But we've got it and I think that was evident tonight.

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