Stuart came through the youth set up at Thistle and made his first team debut on the opening day of the 2010/11 season.
After spending six months on loan with Ayr United, Stuart came back ready for the demands of regular first team football.
Bannigan actually began the championship winning season of 2012/13 at left back, before moving in to his more natural midfield role. His strong performances saw him capture the eye of the national team and he won a couple of under 21 caps during the course of the season. Stuart maintained his tough tenacious style of play as the side adjusted to Premiership life and he made his 50th Jags appearance in October 2015.
After a serious knee injury saw Stuart miss two years of action, Banzo returned to the Thistle line up in September 2018. From that point, he featured in 21 of Thistle’s next games, only missing one fixture due to a yellow card suspension.
He finished the 2018/19 season as captain having played 28 games taking him beyond 200 for the Club. The midfielder led the Jags to safety on the final day of the season, scoring the third and final goal in a 3-0 win over the team he returned against, Queen of the South, from the penalty spot before celebrating passionately with the Thistle fans behind the goal.
Bannigan was a standout for the Maryhill men during the 2020/21 season as he played a big part in Thistle’s League One title win. The number eight was voted by the fans as the McCrea Financial Services Player of the Year that term and signed an extension to his contract during the close season.
With Ian McCall’s side back in the Championship, Stuart continued to feature regularly, racking up 46 appearances during the 21/22 season including his 300th appearance for the club which came in a 1-0 home defeat to Morton on 22nd February 2022.
He was a regular once again during the 22/23 term, finishing the season having featured 46 times in all competitions before going on to play 42 times during the 2023/24 campaign, taking him past 400 competitive games for Thistle.
Contract Expires: Summer 2025
