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Jags walk on Ayr to book place in final

Partick hammer ten-man rivals

CALUM CROWE at Somerset Park Partick Thistle win 8-0 on aggregate

WHEN Partick Thistle started their quest for promotion in the play-offs just over a fortnight ago, few could have predicted that their passage would be quite as smooth as this.

After thrashing Queen’s Park 8-3 on aggregate over two legs, Thistle continued their push towards the Premiership by battering Ayr United at Somerset Park.

Already leading 3-0 from the first leg at Firhill, the Jags made light work of the Honest Men once again and now advance into the play-off final.

They will face either Kilmarnock or Ross County next week and, on this evidence, Kris Doolan’s side will take some beating as they look to end a fiveyear exile from the top flight.

Even beyond a first-half red card for Ayr talisman and top scorer Dipo Akinyemi, Thistle were already well in control after an early goal from Jack McMillan effectively killed the tie stone dead.

This was cruise control for Doolan’s free-flowing Jags, who have now rattled in 16 goals across their four play-off games thus far.

Having lost only once in 17 games since Doolan took charge, Thistle are making a mockery of the notion that the team who finish fourth in the Championship face too great a task to go all the way in the play-offs.

The return of Akinyemi to the Ayr starting line-up was a huge boost for the home side when the teams were announced prior to kick-off.

Akinyemi was recently named Championship Player of the Year after a terrific campaign which has seen him net 24 goals in all competitions.

He missed the first leg against Thistle due to illness and, whatever chance Ayr might have had of mounting a comeback, you felt it might rely on the big striker being at his very best.

Yet, even before Akinyemi’s red card, those ambitions were dealt a hammer blow when Thistle opened the scoring with only seven minutes on the clock.

The move started with Jags skipper Ross Docherty and McMillan exchanging passes in a neat one-two on the right to carve open the Ayr defence.

McMillan played the ball across goal and it eventually found Aidan Fitzpatrick at the far post, who looked certain to burst the net.

Ayr keeper Charlie Albinson actually made an excellent save, only for the ball to hit the ground and rebound back off McMillan’s face into the net. The Thistle right-back knew very little about it. Yet, nonetheless, it brought his third goal in four games.

For the Ayr fans who had been in fine voice prior to kick-off, the goal was like a pin to a balloon. Faced with a tall order at the start of the night, it now looked like mission impossible for the Honest Men.

All the more so when Akinyemi got involved in a wrestling match with Aaron Muirhead on 25 minutes — and lashed out by raising his hands and pushing the Thistle defender in the face.

It was no surprise that referee Colin Steven showed the Ayr striker a red card for what was a moment of total madness. By the end of the night, it was Thistle who had landed the knockout blow.

Having only left Ayr last year, Muirhead was given a hot reception by the home fans for what they felt was simulation. But replays showed that it was nigh-on a forearm smash.

This might well prove to be Akinyemi’s last game for the club if Ayr look to cash in on their prized asset in the summer. If so, it was a sour note on which to end an otherwise terrific season.

Thistle were rampant and duly made it 2-0 two minutes later when the excellent Scott Tiffoney converted at the back post from a Fitzpatrick cross.

Tiffoney added another when he tapped in from a McMillan cross on 54 minutes, with the move owing to a sublime through ball from Steven Lawless. Lawless added a fourth on the night to make it 7-0 on aggregate when he slotted home from close range, before a late Kevin Holt header completed the rout.

AYR UNITED (4-4-2): Albinson 6; McAllister 5, McGinty 5, Musonda 5, Reading 4; Mullin 5, Dempsey 5 (Maguire 62), Ashford 5 (Murdoch 46), McAlear 4 (Smith 46); McKenzie 4 (Mitchell-Lawson 62), Akinyemi 3. Subs not used: McAdams, Kirk, Hewitt, Bryden, O’Connor. Booked: McAllister, McAlear. Sent off: Akinyemi. PARTICK THISTLE (4-2-3-1): Mitchell 7; McMillan 7, Brownlie 7, Muirhead 7 (Hodson 71), Holt 7; Docherty 7, Turner 8; Tiffoney 8 (Dowds 59), Fitzpatrick 8 (MacKenzie 66), Lawless 8 (McKinnon 66); Graham 7 (Mullen 59). Subs not used: Sneddon, Owens, Stevenson. Booked: Muirhead. Man of the match: Scott Tiffoney. Referee: Colin Steven. Attendance: 5,811.

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2023-05-27T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-05-27T07:00:00.0000000Z

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