Saturday 9th August, 2025 at 9:29pm
Partick Thistle secured their first point of the 2025/26 Scottish Championship season on the board, coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Greenock Morton at their Wyre Stadium at Firhill home on Saturday.
Goals from Alister Crawford and Logan Chalmers saw the spoils shared at in a tough, methodical battle.
Two men dropped out from the side that lost to St Johnstone last week, with Ben Stanway replacing Ts’oanelo Lets’osa in midfield, while Josh Clarke was handed his Thistle debut in goals as Lewis Budinauckas moved to the bench.
Both teams struggled to adapt to the blustery conditions early on, with the Jags’ best chance early on coming from a wind-assisted Logan Chalmers free kick that flew within a whisker of the back post.
Outside of some lively play on the left wing from Aidan Fitzpatrick, Thistle failed to create much of note as Morton asserted themselves.
Howls for a Morton penalty were ignored as former Jag Tomi Adeloye went to the deck as Luke McBeth attempted to clear a cross from Zak Delaney.
Thistle would soon rue their lack of creativity as Morton took the lead on 32 minutes. The ball was given away in midfield, and that allowed Cammy Ballantyne to charge down the right and played it inside to Eamonn Brophy.
Brophy then teed up an unmarked Crawford to fire home from seven yards and give Morton the lead.
Zak Delaney saw a header hit the home bar twice after a flick out save from Clarke with Kristan Moore nodding against the woodwork from the resultant corner.
This seemed to wake up Thistle and Chalmers raced to the other and found himself in a good position to equalise, only for his effort to come off the post, with no one in position to capitalise on the rebound.
Ben Stanway then came close minutes before half time, as a Chalmers cross to the back post found its way to Stanway, who was unable to get anything on the ball as Morton went down the tunnel in the lead.
Half Time – Partick Thistle 0 Greenock Morton 1
Mark Wilson made a change at half time, with Ts’oanelo Lets’osa coming on for Luke McBeth, and making an immediate impact.
The Lesotho international immediately started causing Morton problems down Thistle’s left-hand side, bursting his way into the Morton box to pick up a Tony Watt pass.
The resultant challenge from Jackson Longridge was deemed sufficient enough for referee Calum Scott to point to the spot. CHALMERS then stepped up to take the spot kick, dispatching it with ease past Morton keeper James Storer.
With the wind in their sails, Thistle should have taken the lead minutes later. Chalmers managed to pick up the ball from a Morton corner and launch the ball forward for Fitzpatrick, completely unopposed in tons of space.
Fitzpatrick found himself one-on-one with Morton keeper Storer, but after the ball failed to settle, Fitzpatrick sent his shot wide under pressure from a retreating defender.
With twenty minutes left on the clock, Ben McPherson made his debut in red and yellow, having joined on loan from Celtic earlier in the week, replacing Cammy Logan at right-back.
McPherson looked energetic in his time on the pitch and will hope to build on this with further minutes in future games.
Despite Partick Thistle going for the winner late on, they found very little opportunities to break the deadlock as the game petered out. A long distance shot from Dan O’Reilly that whistled just past offered the best hope for Thistle, but it could not provide a winner.
Morton had a chance to wrap it up late on as Owen Moffat found himself through one-on-one with Thistle debutant Clarke. Fortunately for the Jags, Clarke pulled off a superb save to ensure the score stayed level and Thistle walked away with a point.
Full Time – Partick Thistle 1 Greenock Morton 1
Partick Thistle return to action in the Premier Sports Cup next week, when we take on Ayr United at the Wyre Stadium at Firhill next Saturday. Mark Wilson will hope his men can return to winning ways in the last 16 of a competition which has been a happy hunting ground for the Jags this season.
Partick Thistle: Josh Clarke; Cammy Logan (Ben McPherson 70’), Paddy Reading, Lee Ashcroft, Dan O’Reilly; Luke McBeth (Ts’oanelo Lets’osa 46’), Robbie Crawford, Ben Stanway (Zander MacKenzie 85’), Logan Chalmers, Aidan Fitzpatrick; Tony Watt
Unused Substitutes: Lewis Budinauckas (GK); Stevie Lawless, Thomas Horn, Mathew Falconer,
Greenock Morton: James Storer; Cammy Ballantyne, Kristan Moore, Jackson Longridge, Zak Delaney; lain Wilson, Cammy Blues (Owen Moffat 68’), Kian Taylor (Michael O’ Halloran 68’), Alister Crawford (Michael Garrity 85’); Tomi Adeloye (Kerr Robertson 68’), Eamonn Brophy (Zak McKay 77’)
Unused Substitutes: Sam Murdoch (GK); Dylan Corr, Sonny Hart
Referee: Calum Scott
Attendance: 3,926 (533 away)
By David Forrest
Half Time 50/ 50 Draw Results First Prize – £640 – Winning Ticket number 252400 Second Prize – Chance to compete in The Crossbar Challenge – Winning Ticket number – 252228
