13rd Dec 2025 Arbroath 2 Partick Thistle 1 (SPFL Championship - game 18)

matches:2025-26: ← 27game 2829 →

	Colin Hamilton	Mark Wilson	41y, 6m, 8d
	David Gold

		Daniel O'Reilly; Tony Watt
		Logan Chalmers; Aidan Fitzpatrick

Findlay Marshall (0-1, 50‎ mins); Gavin Reilly (0-2, 63 mins)		‎Alex Samuel (1-1, 77‎ mins)
none (0-1, 50‎ mins); Jacob MacIntyre (0-2, 63 mins)		Logan Chalmers (1-1, 77‎ mins)
Ryan Dow; Brooklyn Kabongolo		Ben Stanway; Tony Watt
Craig Watson (@ 0-2, 74 mins)‎
Ryan Dow (Jacob MacIntyre, 59 mins); Gavin Reilly (Aaron Muirhead, 75 mins); Findlay Marshall (Dapo Mebude. 90+1 mins)		Tsoanelo Letsosa (Scott Martin, HT); Paddy Reading (Aidan Fitzpatrick, 65 mins); Ben McPherson (Logan Chalmers, 65 mins); Ben Stanway (Kyle Turner, 75 mins)

	Aidan McAdams	Josh Clarke	21y, 4m, 15d
	Craig Watson	Ben McPherson	21y, 8m, 24d
	Jack Wilkie	Paddy Reading	26y, 6m, 14d
	Brooklyn Kabongolo	Luke McBeth	26y, 3m, 4d
	Thomas O'Brien	Lee Ashcroft	32y, 3m, 14d
	Harry Cochrane	Daniel O'Reilly	30y, 8m, 2d
	Ryan Flynn	Oisin Smyth	25y, 7m, 8d
	Taylor Steven	Tsoanelo Letsosa	21y, 6m, 7d
	Gavin Reilly	Tony Watt	31y, 11m, 14d
	Ryan Dow	Alex Samuel	30y, 2m, 23d
	Findlay Marshall	Ben Stanway	21y, 2m, 23d

			26y, 3m, 23d

	Jordan Pettigrew	Lewis Budinauckas	23y, 5m, 24d
	Colin Hamilton	Cammy Logan	23y, 10m, 15d
	former Jag Aaron Muirhead	Scott Martin	28y, 8m, 12d
	David Gold	Kyle Turner	28y, 1m, 3d
	Jacob MacIntyre	Logan Chalmers	25y, 8m, 19d
	Arran Pettifer	Steven Lawless	34y, 8m, 1d
	Nikolay Todorov	Aidan Fitzpatrick	24y, 8m, 23d
	Victor Enem	Sean McArdle	18y, 3m, 16d
	Dapo Mebude

notes

Both sides generally in playing order.
Thistle filled 8 of their 9 allocated bench slots.

TTA report

Despite making some chances early and late, the middle bit was a failure to play to the conditions. Arbroath chose to face the gale and sat in for the 1st half. They went 2-up just after the hour. Samuel volleyed home from close in (77) but even with Arbroath reduced to 10 (red card) Thistle couldn't beat the wind and the keeper. A farce - but partly their own fault.

TTA man of the match

Thistle were a different proposition when LOGAN CHALMERS was introduced midway through the second half and finally looked like a threat, even against the wind.

Media report

13-Dec-2025, ptfc.co.uk

Three points were blown away from Partick Thistle as they went down 2-1 at windy Arbroath with Head Coach Mark Wilson’s side unable to bring anything home from Gayfield despite a strong fightback. The Jags starting line-up showed several changes with Dan O’Reilly returning after a ban to link up with Lee Ashcroft and Luke McBeth in defence and Tony Watt starting alongside Alex Samuel in attack. The wide attacking pair of Logan Chalmers and Aidan Fitzpatrick were also on the bench as Thistle looked to change tactics at the wind-swept Angus ground.

Ts’anelo Lets’osa kicked the game off with the wind at the visitors’ back as they defended the Pleasureland End goal and within the first 30 seconds there were loud appeals for a penalty surprisingly ignored after a challenge on Ben Stanway that swept him off his feet. A promising opening for Wilson’s side on five minutes ended up coming to nothing as Samuel’s flick on header looked to have opened a door for Watt only for ball to gather pace with the wind and sailed into Aidan McAdams’ gloves. Four minutes later McBeth mopped up a visiting attack by rolling a pass back to Josh Clarke and his kicked clearance soared deep into the Arbroath half and bounced over McAdams but well wide of the shot-stoppers’ goal. That took the goal kick count up to six, all for the hosts, however on 14 minutes Arbroath reached the other end of the pitch and won a corner however no danger threatened. On 20 minutes Watt had an opening when a pass from Stanway reached him on the left with the striker sending a first-time half volley from 16 yards flashing wide. Shortly afterwards Samuel thumped home from an acute angle however an offside flag cut short the celebrations.

The visiting side came close with a much more direct effort on 26 minutes when McBeth let fly from 20 yards with his effort deflected just wide. The resultant corner was recycled back into the box where O’Reilly was picked out and he chested the ball down before sending a fierce volley past the far post. As Thistle kept up the pressure it looked like the opener had been found when Ben McPherson’s low 25-yard drive was blocked and fell into the path of Samuel who picked his spot with a side-footed effort however McAdams produced an outstanding diving stop. Watt was next to threaten with an effort from distance however it nicked off an Arbroath defender and travelled wide of goal. Referee Lee annoyed the home support eight minutes from the break when he blew up for a foul by Findlay Marshall on Oisin Smyth on the half-way line that stopped a three versus two break by Arbroath. The Red Lichties carved out another opening on 43 minutes when Marshall drilled low left to right however Clarke, who had had little to do, watched the ball carefully as it travelled past his left-hand post. A first half of no goals but 17 goal kicks, only one for Thistle, was brought to an end after three minutes of injury time.

Scott Martin was introduced at the break for Lets’osa with Arbroath’s Harry Cochrane hitting for goal straight from the resumption with his effort clearing Clarke’s bar. 0n 49 minutes Arbroath took the lead when Aberdeen loanee Marshall was in the perfect place to curl home from just inside the box when his header forward was blocked by Ashcroft and rolled back into his path. With the goal and the wind behind them Arbroath looked to add a second and Taylor Steven was only inches away with an effort that whistled just past. Just as Head Coach Wilson was looking to bring on the wing power of Fitzpatrick and Chalmers Arbroath grabbed a second goal on 64 minutes when Gavin Reilly nodded in from close range after Jacob McIntyre had headed a deep cross into his path. Samuel did his best to drag Thistle forward 40 yards only to be cynically fouled by Brooklyn Kabongolo who was shown a yellow card. The ever-increasing strength of the wind was evidenced when Jack Wilkie shot directly from a foul on the halfway line with Clarke watching it carefully as it flew wide.

With 16 minutes to go the game, despite the wind, changed direction as the hosts were reduced to ten men when Craig Watson was shown a straight red card for a lunging tackle on Martin 30 yards from the home goal. Hopes of a Thistle fightback increased 77 minutes when SAMUEL stabbed home from close range after he had been picked out by Chalmers who crossed in from the left. The Jags were now well on top and eight minutes later Thistle were awarded a free-kick at the edge of the Arbroath box that Kyle Turner swung in and after a scramble O’Reilly had a thunderous goal bound effort blocked by the chest of a home defender. A corner was the only reward however it looked like Smyth had driven in an 18 yarder to level when the dead ball was swung into his path however McAdams produced a fine diving save. Despite nearly five minutes of added-on time a leveller could not be found.

Reaction

The wind meant it was always going to be a game of two halves, and Thistle boss Mark Wilson was frustrated when he spoke to the media (transcribed via 'The Thistle'

)

The game, if we’re all honest, had a farcical element about it. But I said to our media guys, we knew what it was going to take. That’s why we changed the shape and went with a bigger, more physical side. There’s been a lot of games this season even where we’ve lost and I’ve said, ‘I’ve quite enjoyed that’ - and I’ve enjoyed most of the games - but I didn’t enjoy one bit of that really. It was just comical stuff. And look, we huffed and puffed in that first half, created one or two openings - Dan O’Reilly’s, and there was a great save from their goalkeeper from Alex [Samuel]. We were fine, we maybe just didn’t pepper their goal too much. The second half was always going to be difficult and to be honest, I don’t think we defended those two moments [for Arbroath’s goals] well and we were punished. You shouldn’t be playing in these conditions. The way they play here, they use a one-ball system, you’ve got fans running about the stadium trying to find the ball… it just all feeds into what they are, and fair play to them. That’s fine. Those two moments, we didn’t defend well, got punished. But actually I thought after that, I know the sending-off changes things, but we created some chances and just couldn’t get that second. I thought we probably deserved a draw.

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