Partick Thistle 1-1 St. Mirren: Playoff Remains in Balance After First Leg Spoils Shared

Partick Thistle came from a goal behind to earn a 1-1 draw against St. Mirren in the first leg of the Scottish Premiership promotion/relegation playoff at Firhill. It was the Paisley Saints first time in this playoff since they defeated Dundee United on penalties in 2019, and Thistle’s first time getting this far since the infamous trip to Dingwall in 2023 when they fell short to a Ross County comeback in the final 20 minutes of the tie.  It leaves the tie with everything to play for going into Monday night’s fixture at the Smisa Stadium, which will be as raucous at the capacity crowd at the Wire Stadium this evening.  Aidan Fitzpatrick attempted to capitalise on the electric home atmosphere inside the first ten minutes, cutting on to his right foot and causing the St. Mirren defender to slip. His curled effort though, just wide. Scotland international Allan Campbell seen his name in the back of the paper moments later when a Killian Phillips’, who had been deployed as a striker, chested ball fell to him at the edge of the box, but the midfielder sliced the volley as Josh Clarke watched it sail over his crossbar. Irishman Phillips had a big chance of his own on 21 minutes when he received the ball in space after a well-worked St. Mirren move, but his effort was deflected wide. And just three minutes later, Thistle fashioned a big chance of their own. Alex Samuel pounced on a slack header from Richard King and was just about to stab an effort towards goal. However, it was saved by Ross Sinclair and ricocheted back off of the Welsh forward, trickling wide. The deadlock would be broken six minutes before half time through for the visitors by makeshift forward Phillips. The 24-year-old received the ball from strike partner Mikael Mandron, and put it beyond Clarke with the outside of his right boot to give the Premiership side the 1-0 lead.  The hosts had a glaring opportunity from a Fitzpatrick corner to pull level just before the interval as his in swinging ball landed to an unmarked Lee Ashcroft. The Thistle captain was unable to steer his header on target from six yards out, letting the Paisley opposition away with one. The second period certainly began more nervy than the first, with on loan St. Mirren goalkeeper almost gifting Fitzpatrick a goal had the 25-year-old been able to control his poor kick out inside the opening minute of the half.  And seven minutes later, Clarke of the Jags’ net inexplicably lost the ball in a shoulder-to-shoulder with physical forward Mandron in his own penalty box. With the angle tight, the Frenchman found Campbell, but the former Motherwell man’s chip attempt came nowhere near scoring.  Fitzpatrick would make reprieve himself a moment after the hour mark when he tapped the ball into an empty net thanks to Tony Watt’s hard-work to get the ball in from the right hand side. It is the sixth time the Scot has found the back of the net this season, bringing his side level to 1-1 at a point when tensions were beginning to rise amongst the Jackie Husband and John Lambie stands.  And the Thistle academy graduate should really have been made provider with 12 minutes of play remaining, when his tantalising ball zipped passed everyone across the six-yard box, needing just a mere touch from anyone to put the Maryhill team ahead but there was nobody home.  Partick hit the post in the final minute of injury time to give their guests a scare, but the linesman’s flag was up for offside. The Championship side have their biggest chance to earn promotion since their capitulation in Dingwall three years ago, this time only facing a short journey down the M8 for a return trip to the promised land. As for St. Mirren, they will be doing everything to ensure the do not tarnish their League Cup winning season with the blemish of relegation and maintain their Premiership status for a ninth consecutive season.  PARTICK THISTLE: Clarke 5, Reading 6, Ashcroft 5, Samuel 7, Chalmers 3 (Lets’osa 46’ 3), Crawford 6, McBeth 4 (Turner 80’ 1), Fitzpatrick 9 (Mackay-Steven 88’ 1), Loughrey 5 , McPherson 4 (Logan 59’ 2), Watt 7   SAINT MIRREN: Sinclair 5, Tanser 5, King 3 (Richardson 70’ 1), O’Hara 4 (Douglas 64’ 2), Devaney 6, Mandron 6, Gogic 7, Campbell 7, Freckleton 6, Fraser 5, Phillips 8 (Idowu 77’ 2)

From Fir Park to France: Askou makes huge Toulouse Switch

Motherwell head coach, Jens Berthel Askou has departed Motherwell to join French outfit, Toulouse. Motherwell this evening confirmed the departure of Askou to Ligue 1 side, Toulouse after an excellent campaign in the Scottish Premiership despite rumoured interest by Celtic. Jens brought some of the best football in the league to Fir Park in which was his first season in Scotland in which the Danish boss took the Steelmen to a fourth place finish with Conference League football awaiting next season. Motherwell managed to defeat Celtic for the first time in a decade as well as winning away at Ibrox as well as Calum Ward racking up an exceptional 17 clean sheets and finishing top of the golden glove as well as Maswanhise who also had a brilliant season, netting 22 times all season which has gone unnoticed by clubs across Europe. After grabbing their highest league season ending in 13 years, the Dane makes a move over to France after a formal approach a few days ago and agreeing the compensation fee which saw both parties agree personal terms ahead of the deal. “Grateful is the best word to describe how I feel about my time as a manager of Motherwell FC,” Jens Berthel Askou said. “This past year has been an amazing journey. The buy-in and support from players, staff, board members, volunteers and supporters have been invaluable for me to lead the development of the club. There have been so many special moments along the way, but the way the season ended with a hard-fought win at Easter Road, leaving the club in a position of chasing European football next season, couldn’t have been written better. “Special opportunities come rare in football. And you don’t know when they present themselves. So sometimes you have to leave great things behind to create new ones no matter how hard it is. “This year has not just been a year of joy, excitement, togetherness and success. It has also been a glimpse into the future. A glimpse of what this club is capable of when executing ambitions strategically and boldly. “Now I will follow this future from outside. Excited and optimistic on behalf of everyone at Motherwell Football Club. Knowing that I played a small part. And with memories of something truly special. “A huge THANK YOU to everyone who I’ve met along the way. Mon the Well.” As it stands, all staff within the club will remain. “First of all, I want to wish Jens all the very best for the future,” Chairman Kyrk Macmillan said. “When we brought Jens to Motherwell, there was an understanding that if there was success, the club wouldn’t stand in the way of Jens progressing to his next club if it was the correct opportunity at the right time. “Toulouse is a club playing in one of the top-five divisions in Europe, and it is an excellent opportunity for him. I hope this move brings him more success. Thank you, Jens. “This season has been a special one. I’m a Motherwell fan, and it has been a joy to watch the team operate at such a high level. It’s no secret that we have got a strategy in place that we will continue to build upon our model, using the same principles, as we enter this new campaign. Managers leaving a club can be a hard pill to swallow, and whilst we appreciate Jens for what he has done here in the last 11 months, we have been continually working on contingencies and learnings to ensure we do not rip up and start again but continue to build and grow. “There’s lots to be excited about. We have over 20 contracted first-team players, European football on the horizon and crowds are 40% up at Fir Park. We will continue working hard behind the scenes and will update supporters in due course. This is the start of a journey, not the end.”  

Scotland announce youth call-ups for World Cup training camp

James Wilson, Liam McFarlane, Luke Graham, and Tyler Fletcher will join Scotland’s training next week, as Steve Clarke’s World Cup preparations take shape. Clarke referenced the inclusion of several youth stars when naming his 26-man squad on Tuesday. “When I announced the squad, I made reference to a few young players joining us for training at Lesser Hampden.” “It’s helpful for us, because it boosts our numbers for training – given the staggered arrivals of those who are still playing domestically – and it allows us to take a closer look at some boys who are on our radar. “It should also be a very positive experience for the players themselves, who will get an insight into what we look for in the senior squad environment, surrounded by top professionals.” Clarke’s side begins their preparations by welcoming Curacao to Hampden on May 30th, as a send-off for the squad. Seven days later, they meet Bolivia in New Jersey, before opening their campaign against Haiti. Wilson and McFarlane join from Hearts, Graham from Dundee, and Fletcher from Manchester United.