St Johnstone vs Partick Thistle – Match Report
League leaders St Johnstone take on 2nd place Partick Thistle in a huge game at McDiarmid Park. The visitors nearly got off to the perfect start. Samuel did well to get into a shooting position, but his low effort hit the side-netting. Crawford spotted Samuel in plenty of space inside the St Johnstone box, but could not find the Jags number 9, however, the ball found its way to Watt, who cut inside onto his right foot, but his shot was straight at Steward. McPake found Gullan inside the Partick Thistle box, who flicked it onto Holt, whose effort from inside the box was well blocked. Agyeman found space outside the box and had a go, but his powerful effort was straight at Clarke, who kept hold. Crawford found himself with space inside the box, but his shot was well blocked by Mikulic, who slid in to deny the midfielder. Gullan found Forrester who found space to cross, with blue shirts in the middle, but his cross was headed out for a corner. From the resulting corner, the ball fell to McAlear, whose shot from outside the area was tipped over the top by Clarke. With under 5 minutes to go until half time, the Jags broke the deadlock. Striker Watt was first to a 50/50 following a St Johnstone corner. Watt then raced up the pitch and found himself up against Holt, who he got past with ease, and squared the ball to Smyth, who slotted home from close range. Into the second period, St Johnstone found the leveller. Gullan’s corner eventually found its way to Agyeman, who found himself with the ball inside the area with his back to goal, and found the net via a deflection, to give him his first goal for St Johnstone. Forrester found space outside the box and had a go, but his right footed effort went narrowly past the post. Watt found Smyth with a lofted pass, which keeper Steward came rushing out for and got to, to deny the Jags’ number 8. Gullan’s cross resulted in a goalmouth scramble inside the Partick Thistle box, which was stopped by the referee after Clarke collected. Agyeman worked the ball onto his right foot and had a shot, but his strike was palmed away by Clarke. With just over 25 minutes of normal time remaining, McPake put St Johnstone in front. The winger received the ball from Gullan, then cut inside onto his right foot and found the bottom corner. Agyeman found space and whipped in a dangerous cross, which was just beyond the reach of Fowler. Agyeman worked the ball onto his right foot and had a shot from inside the area, which was well saved by Clarke at his near post. Into the final minute of stoppage time, Partick Thistle were awarded a penalty after Samuel was brought down by defender Diabate. Smyth stepped up and found the bottom corner to rescue the Jags a point right at the death. A quite incredible ending to an incredible game at McDiarmid Park. As a result, St Johnstone remain 2 points clear at the top of the Championship with a game in hand. St Johnstone: Steward (5), Forrester (6), Diabate (3), Mikulic (5), Boyes (6), Holt (6), McAlear (5), Stanton (5), Gullan (7), McPake (8), Agyeman (8) Substitutes: Fowler (7), Baird (6), Fotheringham (6), Griffith (6) Partick Thistle: Clarke (6), McPherson (6), McBeth (6), Ashcroft (6), O’Reilly (6), Reading (6), Crawford (6), Smyth (10), Stanway (6), Watt (8), Samuel (7) Substitutes: Loughrey (6), Chalmers (6), Taylor (6)
Kieron Bowie departs Hibernian in Club-Record transfer to Hellas Verona
Hibernian have officially confirmed the departure of striker Kieron Bowie for a club record fee, as the 23-year-old has penned a four-and-a-half-year deal with Italian side Hellas Verona. The fee is understood to be in the region of £6 million and has the potential to rise to £7 million with future add-ons. Bowie’s former club Fulham are also set to profit from this deal due to a significant 20% sell-on clause. It was reported on Tuesday that the Easter Road outfit had rejected an initial opening bid from Hellas Verona for the Scotland striker, but the Serie A strugglers had since returned with a second offer that was ultimately too good to turn down. Bowie joined Hibs in August 2024 from Fulham for just £600,000 and made a total of 52 appearances for David Gray’s men, registering 15 goals and five assists during his time at the club, whilst also earning his first ever senior Scotland call-up at the end of the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership campaign, having been influential towards Hibs’ 17-game unbeaten run and third-place finish. The Italian top tier has proven to be a popular destination for Scottish talent to make the move to, as Bowie is now currently the seventh Scot to play in Serie A, joining the likes of Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, Lewis Ferguson, Lennon Miller, Che Adams and Josh Doig. Hellas Verona sit joint bottom of the Serie A table and will be hoping Bowie can help contribute towards their hopes of a survival bid, whereas Bowie himself will be eager to make an impact in Italy with a place in Scotland’s World Cup squad next summer on the line. Before flying out to Italy early this morning to complete a medical, Bowie spoke to Sky Sports Scotland, saying that he felt the move was good for all parties involved and discussed the opportunity of playing in Italy. Bowie said: “I’ve had 18 months at Hibs now and I’ve done extremely well there. They’ve done well for me, so I think for all parties it’s good. “Italy appeals, there’s obviously a lot of people from Scotland who have gone there and have done well. “It opens a lot of opportunities for myself and my family, which is the main thing. “It’s a top league and obviously with the World Cup coming up, that’s the idea.”
Title Challengers, Midfield Replacements, and Winless Runs: SPFL Matchday 24 Breakdown
As the Scottish Premiership season ticks towards February, let’s break down the latest round of fixtures. Game of the Round – Hibernian v Rangers Eight straight league victories have propelled Rangers into second place, and despite a 3-1 defeat in Porto, optimism remains high on the blue side of Glasgow. Danny Rohl, who secured his first away win at the Ibrox helm on a cold October night at Easter Road, now looks to Sunday’s return fixture to edge closer to the high-flying Jambos. The January arrivals of Andreas Skov Olsen, Tochi Chukwuani, and Tuur Rommens have fueled the belief that a first Premiership title since 2021 is within reach, setting the stage for an electrifying few months. In contrast, Hibernian are reeling from a dismal end to January; after a Scottish Cup exit at the hands of former boss Neil Lennon, they were soundly beaten 4-1 by an invigorated Falkirk. With top scorer Kieron Bowie reportedly nearing a £6 million move to Hellas Verona, David Gray needs a mammoth performance from his side to claim their first win over Rangers since 2016. As Easter Road prepares for Sunday’s clash, the question is whether Rangers will stretch their winning run to nine games or if Hibs can ease the mounting pressure on their manager. Player to Watch – Marc Leonard The Birmingham midfielder joined Derek McInnes’s side just days before Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash with Celtic, signing a loan deal until the end of the season that could see the former Hearts youngster become a vital part of their title charge. With Cammy Devlin sidelined by injury, Leonard appears to be an ideal replacement for the influential Australian; despite some early nerves on his debut, he grew into the game by showcasing an impressive passing range and a relentless work rate against the Celtic midfield. Having proven he is up for the fight, Leonard will likely keep his place for Saturday’s trip to Tannadice, where another positive performance could help Hearts extend their lead at the summit to seven points. Team Spotlight – Kilmarnock Neil McCann’s appointment at Rugby Park came as a surprise to many, marking his return to the dugout for the first time in over five years. His tenure has seen mixed results so far; after battling to a draw against Livingston, Kilmarnock suffered a disappointing Scottish Cup exit followed by a heavy defeat to an in-form Motherwell. Now precariously sitting in 11th place, McCann’s side must rely on their home form to survive, and a clash with an inconsistent Aberdeen side this Saturday offers a prime opportunity to kick-start his Ayrshire reign. With the 4-0 loss at Fir Park stretching Killie’s winless run to 16 matches, all eyes are on whether they can finally end their horror streak this weekend.
