Partick Thistle Avoid Scare to Defeat Raith Rovers

Partick Thistle halted a Raith Rovers comeback as they defeated a side that came back from two goals down 3-2 at the Wyre Stadium at Firhill. This result inflicts Raith with their first league defeat of the campaign, with Thistle now unbeaten since their opening day 5-1 thrashing to St. Johnstone and find themselves  level on points with today’s travelling side. The hosts raced in front with a blistering performance in the opening quarter of an hour of the game, with journeyman talisman Tony Watt giving the Jags the lead in the 7th minute of the game, when he slid onto the end of a low cross courtesy of Thistle academy graduate Aidan Fitzpatrick who’s work down the left wing made it all happen. Fitzpatrick would score one of his own just six minutes later, cutting onto his right foot with the use of a couple of stopovers, and putting his laces through the ball to bury it passed Josh Rae in the away goal. Thistle remained on top of the visitors up until the 20th minute which is when the momentum began to shift in favour of the Kirkcaldy side, when Partick Thistle captain Lee Ashcroft brought down Raith forward Paul McMullan inside the box and was booked for his troubles. Dylan Easton took the spot kick, and sent goalkeeper Josh Clarke the wrong way as he tucked the ball into the bottom left corner the goal. Raith found inspiration from this avenue back into the match and really began to take the game to Mark Wilson’s side, eventually finding an equaliser after being two behind so early on in the 36th minute. McMullan chased an aerial long ball and chested it down to put himself through one on one with Clarke. He took it round the Thistle goalkeeper but the angle was unkind to him, leaving him with no option but to square it back across for midfielder Ross Matthews to hammer home and level the scoring. Many of the Thistle faithful had their hearts in their mouths on the 65th minute when Raith striker Lewis Vaughan went down inside the box, with many fearing the home side had conceded another penalty. Alas, the referee brandished his yellow card to Vaughan for simulation. Thistle reclaimed their lead 16 minutes from time, as both of their wingers combined to give them the advantage. Aidan Fitzpatrick again with some stunning play down that left flank to beat his man, before his left footed cross zipped across the box for Logan Chalmers to run onto the end of at the back post to smash it goal wards to net his 5th goal of the season in all competitions. There was a couple of late scares of an equaliser for Raith in the dying minutes of the game. Jack Hamilton had a chance to level the scoring around 10 minutes from time, but couldn’t sort his feet out and the ball hit his leg and sailed over the bar from close distance. Merely just a couple minute after this, a cross from wide right nearly floated into Josh Clarke’s goal, but his palm to divert it only led to another chance for Paul McMullan, with the attacker seeing his effort cannon off of the crossbar. Raith piled on further pressure, with the ball falling to Jordan Doherty in acres of space in the final minute of regulation time, but his half volley hit the side netting and Raith’s hopes of a point on the road evaporated. Partick Thistle: Clarke 5, Reading 6, Ashcroft 5, Chalmers 8 (Lawless 3), Crawford 6 (Turner 4), O’Reilly 6, Fitzpatrick 9 , McPherson 6, Stanway, Watt 8 (Samuel 4), Lets’osa 7 (McBeth 2) Raith Rovers: Rae 5, Hanlon 5, Fordyce 5, Matthews 6 , Mullin 6 (Vaughan 3), McMullan 8, Brown 6 (Hamilton 3), Byrne 5, Doherty 7, Easton 7 (Chin 3), Stevenson 5

Scottish Teams Find Out Their Fate In European Draws

Rangers, Celtic and Aberdeen today all found out their opponents for the league phases of the Europa League and the Europa Conference League. Rangers and Celtic were in pots 1 and 2 of the Europa League draw respectively, whilst Aberdeen found themselves in pot 4 of the Conference League draw following their drop down to the competition last night. The pot 1 part of the draw arguably could not have provided Rangers and Celtic with tougher opponents, with both sides hosting Italian giants AS Roma who are the highest ranked side in the competition as per coefficient. Rangers also have to travel to Portugal to take on 2011 winners FC Porto, the second highest ranked side, whilst Celtic travel to De Kuip to take on Eredivisie giants Feyenoord, who they defeated under Arne Slot in 2023 to end a ten-year Champions League hoodoo. In pot 2, both sides have also been pitted against the 2011 runner ups, Portuguese outfit SC Braga, another side that will be flying in to Glasgow on two separate occasions. Celtic’s away tie from this pot sees them travel to Serbia as they were drawn away to the intimidating atmosphere of the Rajko Mitic Stadium, home of Crvena Zvezda, and Rangers also make the journey to Eastern Europe, as they will play Ferencvaros of Hungary’s capital, Budapest. Pot 3 again sees one side fare up against both of the Glasgow giants in Sturm Graz, however unlike AS Roma and SC Braga, they will only need to make their way to the East End of Glasgow rather than the Southside as well, as they have been drawn away to Celtic and at home to Rangers. Rangers’ home tie of this pot sees them host Ludogerets of Bulgaria, who have won their own top flight 14 times on the trot, whilst Danish side FC Midtjylland host another green and white Scottish club, after they knocked Hibernian out late in extra time in the qualifiers to help themselves reach this stage of the competition. In pot 4, Rangers host Belgian side Genk and travel north to face Brann of Norway, who last faced Scottish opposition last season in the form of St. Mirren in Conference League qualifying. Celtic’s draw was concluded with a visit from Dutch side FC Utrecht, where infamous former Hoops goalkeeper Vasilias Barkas currently plies his trade, and they will also make the journey to Northern Italy to take on FC Bologna, captained by Scotland international Lewis Ferguson. As for Ferguson’s former side, Aberdeen, their 6 Conference League opponents were discovered following the Europa League draw. The Dons host Ukrainian side, and European regulars Shakhtar Donetsk from pot 1, and will also see visits from Ligue 1 opposition Strasbourg and Armenian side Noah, who travelled to the UK last season to play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the last term’s Conference League, losing 8-0 to the eventual competition winners. There are some enjoyable away days on the cards for the Red Army, as they make the trip to the capital of Czechia to play Sparta Prague. They can also look forward to the slightly warmer climates of Greece’s capital Athens when their side play AEK, and another trip slightly more East to Cyprus, as they face AEK Larnaca, who dumped out a Legia Warsaw side that narrowly beat Hibs last night to deny Scotland having four Scottish sides in European group phase competition.

Dons crash, burn and drop into Conference League in Bucharest

FCSB 3 Aberdeen 0 (FCSB win 5-2 on aggregate) Aberdeen have been consigned to UEFA Europa Conference League football this season as they went down to Romanian side FCSB in the Europa League Playoff round. The Dons return to group phase football for the first time since 2023, where they also found themselves in European football’s third tier competition, in a campaign which produces memorable wins over Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt but ultimately no qualification for the latter stages. Jimmy Thelin’s side did well to keep the tie alive last week at Pittodrie, having gone down 2-0 in the second half of the first leg, yet they would get no better opportunity to go ahead for the first time in the tie in the opening minutes of the game, when striker Ester Sokler, who scored a 90th minute equaliser last week, trickled a rebounded effort into the hands of goalkeeper Stefan Tarnovanu who gracefully collected the ball into his hands from six yards out. Aberdeen more than went toe to toe with the Romanian hosts for large parts of the first half, with Ante Palaversa firing a half volley over the bar and summer recruit Adil Aouchiche looking threatening down the left hand side at one stage, yet in equal measure they also got out of jail with Dimitar Mitov rushing to clear a Nicky Devlin backpass, and FCSB failing to make Graeme Shinnie pay after the Dons captain was lackadaisical in possession. With just five minutes to go until half time and Aberdeen looking to go into the break with the tie still level, disaster struck in the most frustrating and cruelest of fashions. David Miculescu was sent through and beat the already booked Alexander Jensen to the through ball, falling to the ground and the ball hitting the arm of the Dane. The referee waved play on, but VAR intervened and perhaps unfairly, the referee pointed to the spot and gave Jensen his marching orders, before Darius Olaru tucked away the penalty to give the hosts the lead. With the man advantage, the second half was all FCSB and they quickly made their dominance count. Adrian Sut picked up the ball from outside the area, and he ferociously struck the ball to fire it passed the Bulgarian in the Aberdeen net to double his side’s advantage who looked to be in a rush to make the UEFA Europa League. Just on the hour mark, Aberdeen fans would have been forgiven if they started to watch the game from behind their couches, when Olaru netted his second of the evening with big thanks to a deflection. Fans across Scotland’s minds at this stage would have been fearing the worst for Aberdeen, given what happened to Rangers in their away tie last night, but the Reds stood firm to keep the scoreline at a minimum. It was degree of inevitability that the Dons would end up in the Conference League and so it proved to be in the end, with FCSB taking the win overall. FCSB: Tarnovanu 6, Cretu 7, Ngezana 7, Popescu 7 (Miculescu 3), Radunovic 6, Lixandru 6, Șut 8 (Chriches 2), Miculescu 6, Olaru 9 (Alhassan 5), Tanase 7 (Politic 3), Birligea 6 (Albec 2) Aberdeen: Mitov 4, Devlin 5, Milne 5, Knoester 4, Jensen 2, Palaversa 6 (Yengi 3), Aouchiche 6, Shinnie 5, Keskinen 6 (Milanovic 3), Polvara 5 (Nilsen 4), Sokler 4 (Clarkson 5)   

Aberdeen Freeze in Tynecastle Cauldron as Hearts Top Table With Victory

There were chants of ‘we shall not be moved’ at Tynecastle Park as hosts Hearts moved up to first place in the table, as the Jambos faithful created a raucous atmosphere as they watched their side defeat Scottish Cup holders Aberdeen 2-0. Both sides were able to round off the first week of Premiership action, amid fears of a potential postponement due to an amber level weather warning of severe wind. Hearts came into this one the sharpest of the two sides, having played four Premier Sports Cup matches prior to this, winning all four, and scoring four in each. Not to mention defeating Premier League opposition in Sunderland 3-0 also, in a testimonial for club legend Craig Gordon. Aberdeen were away from in the opening Monday night fixture for the second consecutive season after they beat St Johnstone 2-1 this time last year, but the side from the North East were unable to replicate the same kind of result which kickstarted their memorable unbeaten run at the start of last season. Hearts would take the lead in the 11th minute, courtesy of Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie, who had been receiving the pantomime villain treatment from the home support up until this point. A Harry Milne cross hit off the Dons’ skipper last before hitting the net, which all started from Claudio Braga driving down the right hand side to make it all happen, and when his cross led to a Cammy Devlin strike deflecting out to Milne, he zipped a ball across to help put the Maroon side ahead. Milne almost doubled the lead three minutes later, when his strike surprised all of Tynecastle when it hit the bar. Aberdeen would hit the woodwork themselves just a minute later, when Nicolas Milanovic’s cross hit off the leg of Kusini Yengi and tumbled onto the post left of Zander Clark. Hearts thought they had doubled their lead just on the stroke of half time, this time through their captain, Lawrence Shankland, who found the top left corner with a fantastic curling strike outside the box. However, after a lengthy VAR check, the goal was ruled out for an offside in the build up, giving the Gorgie side a one goal advantage to defend going into the second period. There was a clear momentum shift to be seen from the beginning of the second half, which seen Aberdeen create many opportunities and enjoy large spells of possession in the Hearts half. No opportunity came better than Kusini Yengi’s five minutes after the restart, with the Australian getting onto the end of a deep curling Leighton Clarkson free kick from around six yards out. His effort, however, bounced wide of the goal on what was the striker’s competitive debut for the Dons. Hearts weathered a red coloured storm for the first two thirds of the second half, before coming alive again and doubling their advantage. Harry Milne lifts a free kick in from a narrow position which was failed to be cleared by Aberdeen’s Mats Knoester, allowing Scotland international Stuart Findlay to capitalise and beat Mitov in the Aberdeen net in the air to give Hearts a two goal cushion and net his second of the season already. There was another worryingly long VAR check for a potential offside put hearts in mouths around Tynecastle, but groans quickly turned into cheers of delight when referee Nick Walsh pointed to the centre circle. This result continues Derek McInnes’ 100% record as Hearts manager following his appointment at the end of last season, as his side look to make it ten competitive victories in a row when they travel to Tannadice to face Dundee United this Sunday afternoon. For Jimmy Thelin and his men, they face the easy task of hosting the champions Celtic at Pittodrie in the Sunday lunchtime fixture, with Brendan Rodgers’ side looking to avenge their Scottish Cup Final loss and make it two wins out of two for the campaign. Hearts: Clark, Kent (Steinweinder, 70′), Hackett, Shankland (Magnusson, 90′), Braga (Wilson, 71′), Borchgrevnik (Forrest, 70′), Devlin, Spittal (Kyziridis, 70′) , Milne, Findlay (Goal, 73′), McEntee Bookings: Kent (19′), Hackett (54′), Devlin (61′) Aberdeen: Mitov, Shinnie (OG, 11′, Devlin 81′), Knoester, Nilsen (Morris, 69′), Aouchiche, Yengi (Boyd, 62′) Clarkson, Milanovic (Sokler, 81′) , Milne, Jensen, Keskinen (Polvara, 62′) Bookings: Aouchiche (60′), Milanovic (78′)

Billy Davies in Managerial Return as New Morton Technical Head Coach Set to Cover Absent Dougie Imrie

Billy Davies is today set to return to the dugout, as Morton’s new Technical Head Coach steps in to cover for manager Dougie Imrie, who is absent from the Championship opener due to family matters. Davies will be pit against a Dunfermline side managed by Neil Lennon in this opening weekend clash at Cappielow. He confirmed his return to football with the Ton only weeks ago, taking on a role that sees him working alongside current manager Imrie, who has held the post in Greenock since 2021. This marks Davies’ first involvement in Scottish football since leaving Motherwell in 2001, having gone on to enjoy spells in the English game with Preston, Nottingham Forest, and Derby County, the latter earning promotion to the Premier League under his guidance. A former Dunfermline player, Davies, who has even been linked with the Scotland job in the past — revealed in an exclusive interview with SNN Sports that he had been scheduled to interview for the Rangers job shortly after their return to the Premiership. The move ultimately never materialised. Now in his new role at Morton, Davies is demonstrating his willingness to step in and support Imrie whenever needed, as he goes head-to-head with a coach today who has won all there is to win domestically in Scotland, both as a player and manager. Morton finished sixth last season, one place above Dunfermline, who showed a marked improvement in results following Lennon’s appointment. Imrie also holds the current bragging rights, having led the Ton to a 2–0 win over the Pars on the final day of last season. Morton described Davies’ appointment on their official website as a “clear message of intent ahead of the new campaign,” while Dunfermline recently tied Lennon down to a new two-year deal following the expiry of his short-term contract. Today’s encounter offers both sides an early chance to lay down a marker in what promises to be one of the most competitive Scottish Championship seasons in recent years.

Liam Donnelly Becomes St.Mirren’s Fifth Signing of the Summer

St.Mirren have today announced the signing of Northern Irish international Liam Donnelly on a free transfer, following the expiry of his contract at Kilmarnock after a three-year spell. The combative midfielder, who can also play right-back or centre-back, is the fifth signing for St.Mirren this summer already, with Roland Idowu, Killian Phillips, Richard King and Jayden Richardson in the door also. Donnelly has put pen to paper on a two year stay in Paisley, and will be reunited with Buddies manager Stephen Robinson after the pair worked together at Motherwell, who spoke fondly of his latest recruit. “I’ve worked with Liam before and he’s a really competitive player. “Technically, he’s very good as well and he gives us options in numerous positions. Liam can play anywhere in the back three, he can play at full-back in a four, or he can play as a six or an eight in midfield as well. “He’s someone we feel will bring real competition to the squad. We run with a small squad so Liam’s versatility could be invaluable through the season.” The new signing also spoke on his delight to be playing at the SMISA Stadium next season. “I know the manager well and I have seen the success of the club in the past few years. I want to be a part of that and hopefully we can do similar this season. “I just need to focus on getting my foot in the door and making sure I’m doing well enough to be in the manager’s thoughts for the starting eleven.”

Celtic Legend John Clark Passes Away Aged 84

Celtic legend John Clark has today sadly passed away at the age of 84. Clark was part of the iconic ‘Lisbon Lion’ squad, as he started in Celtic’s 2-1 victory over Internazionale in May of 1967, ethching his name into Parkhead folklore. He also shares the rarer accolade of playing in every match of the 66/67 season with Tommy Gemmell, as the Glasgow side won every competition they competed in. He would become part of the furniture at Celtic Park, spending thirteen years as a player, some time as reserves coach, five years as assistant manager to former centre-half partner Billy McNeill, before returning as a kitman in 1997, a role he would occupy for 20 years, making him the longest accumulated serving member of staff at the club after Willie Maley. Clark would make four appearances for the Scottish national team, as well a two year spell at Morton, before hanging up his boots and getting into the dugouts of Cowdenbeath, Stranrear and Clyde, but will forever be remembered for his twelves trophies won at Parkhead. Celtic Chairman Peter Lawwell shared his feelings for Clark: “John was actually a hero to me and so many others, someone who achieved the greatest feat of all club football but did so, along with his great team mates with such grace and humility. “That famous day in Lisbon, which John was such an integral part of, changed our club forever. Ever since, each player who has passed through our club has stood on the shoulders of giants, and John was certainly one of those giants. “John gave his life to Celtic both as a player and on our staff in a variety of roles and his contribution to our great club over so many decades is immeasurable.” Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers, who worked with Clark during his first spell, also had time to reflect on his passing: “John’s continued presence at Celtic across so many decades I know served as an aspiration to so many players, managers and staff, including myself very much. “To have him with us, as part of the club for so long has been a tremendous privilege for us all, it meant so much to us. Through his knowledge, his wisdom and his true love for Celtic, John made such an important contribution to the club.”

Saints Further Shore Up Defence With Signing of Jayden Richardson

St. Mirren announced their second defensive signing in as many days as Jayden Richardson pens a two-year deal in Paisley. The Englishman, who has played North of the border previously with a spell at Aberdeen, signs from English National League side Boreham Wood, scoring two times and assisting another four from right back in 37 appearances. Richardson has enjoyed loan spells in the EFL for most of his career following his graduation from the Nottingham Forest academy in 2019, and now the 24 year-old will be looking to find a club that he can truly settle at, with the Buddies. “I can’t wait to get in front of the crowd and show what I can do. I can bring energy, pace, power and hopefully that athleticism up and down can get the fans on the edge of their seat. “I know what it’s [Scottish football] like. When I was up here in the past, playing against St.Mirren, we knew it was a tough game no matter what and the fans here were outstanding.” St.Mirren boss Stephen Robinson also had words to say after securing another acquisition for his squad. “Jayden is someone I tried to sign a few seasons ago. “All the attributes are there and it’s up to us to get that quality out of him. I think he will be a really good signing for us.”

St. Mirren Tighten Up Defence With Signing of Jamaican Internationalist

St. Mirren have completed the signing of centre back Richard King from Cavalier FC of the Jamaican Premier League, after a failed attempt to snap up the 23 year-old in January. King signs for the Buddies on a two year deal, with the Paisley side holding the option of one-year extension. The centre half becomes Stephen Robinson’s third signing of the summer, after the club permanently signed former loanees Killian Phillips and Roland Idowu. King will join up with his St. Mirren teammates upon his return from the CONCACAF Gold Cup with Jamaica under Steve McLaren as he looks to add to the 30 caps he has to his name already. St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson said: “We had tracked him [King] for a long time and kept up with his progress. He’s quick, he’s strong and he’s a project for us as well as it’s a step up in level. “I had a really good conversation with Richard and the Cavalier owner and we are aligned in our thinking in terms of giving Richard a good platform. “We think Richard will add real competition to the boys we’ve already got and give us another option in that department.”

Aberdeen Bolster Squad With a Double Addition

Aberdeen have announced the signings of two new players ahead of the 2025/26 season, after completing deals for German left back Emmanuel Gyamfi and Australian striker Kusini Yengi. Gyamfi joins from Bundesliga 2 side FC Schalke 04 on a four year contract, whilst Australian international Yengi, who’s younger brother Tete plays for Livingston, joins from English Championship side Portsmouth, having signed a pre-contract with the Scottish Cup winners. Speaking on his new recruits, Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin said: “We were quite specific about the type of profile we had identified to play as a striker for Aberdeen and Kusini has a lot of qualities that we are after. “Emmanuel is a player we have been monitoring for some time. He possesses all the attributes we are looking for in a modern full-back. He’s dynamic and has a great work ethic. “It is important for us to have different profiles of players who can bring us specific strengths to our shape and how we want to play.” The Dons face a gruelling schedule this season, with guaranteed European league phase football on the horizon following their historic Scottish Cup Final victory over holders Celtic, and will be keen to bed their new signings in quickly before their Europa League play-off tie and the start of the domestic campaign.