Wednesday 22nd October, 2025 at 12:01am
It may be Diwali, but the best fireworks in Glasgow were to be found on the pitch at the Wyre Stadium at Firhill on Tuesday night as Partick Thistle triumphed 2-1 over Ayr United in a Championship clash that saw sparks fly.
Both sides came into the clash in sparkling form, with Thistle unbeaten in nine league games and Ayr’s last defeat coming back in August at the hands of Mark Wilson’s Jags in the Premier Sports Cup.
Thistle made two changes to the squad which triumphed 1-0 over Ross County on Saturday, with Alex Samuel replacing Tony Watt up front, while Ben Stanway came back into the fold having missed out on Saturday, replacing Kyle Turner.
Ayr’s squad had more than their fair share of Jags alumni with goalkeeper David Mitchell and Kevin Holt making the starting XI while Anton Dowds and Firhill legend Stuart Bannigan were on the bench.
It was a cagier start to the game than the two sides’ League Cup tie in August, with little in the way of chances for either side in the opening fifteen minutes.
Ayr, in particular, found it difficult to piece moves together in the opening minutes as Thistle bore down on them in the early going.
The Honest Men’s did create an opportunity courtesy of Ethan Walker on the ninth minute after Thistle lost the ball in their own half.
Despite having time to drive forward or pick out a pass, Walker instead opted to go for goal, with his shot more likely to hit the Woodside Inn than it was the goal upon lift off.
Stanway looked primed to give Thistle the lead on nineteen minutes when he got on the end of a ball flung into the box by Chalmers, but was unable to get his shot off before Mitchell got to it.
The game became more of a dogged tussle with Ayr not afraid of a physical approach in their attempts to keep the Jags at bay.
Referee Calum Scott’s whistle was used frequently, to stop and start the game which added to the frustrations of both sets of fans.
The whistle was not used however when Ben Stanway went down in the box on 35 minutes, with Scott waving off the protestations and playing on.
The Jags continued to plug away, with corners from Fitzpatrick and Chalmers threatening the Ayr goalmouth, but failing to produce a goal.
The ferocity of the first half soon took its toll on the Jags, as Lee Ashcroft went down injured following a dangerous cross into the Thistle box, with Luke McBeth coming on for him.
Second later, before Wilson’s team had time to regroup, Ayr took the lead. Walker made up for his wayward chance earlier, racing through the middle and hitting home in stoppage time to put the visitors 1-0 up going into the break.
Half-Time – Partick Thistle 0 Ayr United 1
At half time, Wilson turned to his substitutes’ bench, with Watt replacing Samuel up front. Chalmers and Fitzpatrick switched sides, while Dan O’Reilly took the captain’s armband.
The impact was immediate as Thistle raced up the park from kick off, with Chalmers bombing down the left. The winger then effortlessly dispatched his cross into the path of TS’OANELO LETS’OSA to blast into the net and immediately restore parity.
Four minutes after, Wilson’s men took the lead, much to the delight of the Red and Yellow Army. The ball worked its way to the box, however just when it looked like Ayr had survived STANWAY picked it off Kyle Ure’s toes who sent an exquisite curling shot out of the reach of keeper Mitchell to give Thistle the advantage.
From there, the pace of the game dipped after a frantic opening ten minutes to the half. Thistle settled into a groove, content to keep Ayr at arm’s length as Scott Brown’s men huffed and puffed in search of an equaliser.
The killer blow for Ayr came in the 71st minute when Walker was given his marching orders in bizarre circumstances. The goalscorer received treatment at the side of the pitch after going down hurt, before making his way back on to the pitch without the referee’s permission.
Having been booked in the first half, Walker was shown a second yellow and sent for an early bath. The peculiar incident caught most of the crowd unawares, but not the Ayr Technical Area, who were seen to pass comment on the decision.
Down to ten men, Ayr adapted and threw themselves at the Jags in search of an equaliser, but were unable to break through, ultimately falling to defeat.
Full-Time – Partick Thistle 2 Ayr United 1
The result sees the Jags extend their undefeated league in the streak to ten games and draw level with league leaders St Johnstone at the top of the Championship table. Partick Thistle return to action on Saturday, with a trip to Kirkcaldy to face Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park
Partick Thistle: Josh Clarke; Paddy Reading, Lee Ashcroft (Luke McBeth 45’), Dan O’Reilly, Ben McPherson, Oisin Smyth, Ts’oanelo Lets’osa (Sean McArdle 82’), Ben Stanway (Kyle Turner 70’); Logan Chalmers (Steven Lawless 82’), Aidan Fitzpatrick, Alex Samuel (Tony Watt 45’)
Unused Substitutes: Lewis Budinauckas; Cammy Logan, Liam Dolan;
Ayr United: David Mitchell; Scott McMann, Kevin Holt, Leon King, Nick McAllister (Dylan Watret 63’); Marco Rus (Anton Dowds 77’), Ben Dempsey (Jude Bonnar 64’), Kyle Ure; Mark McKenzie (Dom Thomas 84’), Ethan Walker; Jamie Murphy (Stuart Bannigan 84’)
Unused Substitutes: Liam Russell; Liam Dick, Shaun Want
Referee: Calum Scott
Attendance: 3,123 (573 away)
By David Forrest
50/50 Results
First Prize – £495 – Ticket No. 263549
Second Prize – Chance to take part in Crossbar Challenge – Ticket No. 263615
