Partick Thistle 3 Ayr United 0 - Rampant Jags take huge step towards Premiership play-off final after first-leg rout

Partick Thistle put themselves firmly in the driving seat for a place in the Premiership play-off final after recording an emphatic 3-0 victory over Ayr United in the semi-final first leg at Firhill.

The Jags, who had disposed of Queen’s Park at the quarter-final stage last week, extended their unbeaten run to nine matches ahead of Friday’s return leg at Somerset Park, courtesy of Jack McMillan’s 16th minute opener and Brian Graham’s second half brace.

It capped off another excellent display from the Maryhill club as they took another huge step towards a potential return to the top-flight following a five-year absence.

Thistle boss Kris Doolan was thrilled with his side’s commanding performance, claiming they could easily have won by a greater margin. He told BBC Scotland: “We got what we deserved, it could have been five or six if we took our chances but defensively we were really secure. The defenders, Darren Brownlie and Aaron Muirhead, stood up to the long balls and dealt with the physical test well.

“Going forward, we’re creative and we showed how clinical we can be as well. We speak about Brian (Graham) a lot, he’s a proven goal scorer but he brings a lot more than just being a No9. He brings excellent link-up play, he’s intelligent, he makes clever runs and organises the players round him. He’s such a great player to have in your squad.

“It’s only half-time, we won’t treat it as if the tie is over. It’s about us having a positive mindset. With the players we have at our disposal, we’re not a team that will sit in, absorb pressure and look to hit on the counter-attack. We’re here to win because we’ve got really good attacking players.

“We know it’s going to be difficult down at Somerset next week, it will be a different type of game but ultimately we’ll go there in a positive frame of mind and looking to win.”

Ayr were dealt a major blow before a ball was kicked when news broke that they were without the services of key talisman Dipo Akinyemi - the recently crowned Championship Player of the Year - but they didn’t allow that pre-match setback to dampden their spirits after making a positive start in front of a raucous crowd including a 2,000-strong travelling contingent.

The home side were slow out of the traps and Ayr posed a good threat when a corner was initially headed clear but only as far as Chris Maguire fully 25-yards from goal. The former Aberdeen attacker rifled a crisply struck rocket, which forced keeper David Mitchell to tip the ball over the crossbar.

Thistle stepped up a gear after that early warning sign and Scott Tiffoney, who was occupying a central role rather than his favoured position on the wing, displayed some neat footwork before drilling a low shot towards the far post but visiting shot-stopper Charlie Albinson reacted smartly to make an important save.

It didn’t take long for Partick to open the scoring. Stevie Lawless slipped a neat ball through for the onrushing Jack McMillan and the full-back had time to drill a low strike past Albinson into the back of the net from a narrow angle.

The visitors were living dangerously and they almost shipped a second midway through the first-half when Brian Graham missed the target with a first-time shot from distance after Albinson was caught out of position. The towering centre-forward had his head in his hands shortly after when he somehow skewed an effort wide of goal from just a few yards out after connecting with Aidan Fitzpatrick’s cross from the left.

As the opening 45 minutes drew to a close, Ayr midfielder Josh Mullin was fortunate to stay on the pitch and avoid a straight red card after raising his arms towards Kyle Turner off the ball. The flashpoint wasn’t initially noticed by referee Greg Aitken but after being consulted of the incident by the fourth official, the whistler brandished a yellow.

The start of the second half was delayed by five minutes after stewards appeared to allow hoards of Thistle fans to run across the corner of the pitch into the John Lambie stand. One pitch invader sprinted around the turf holding a red smoke bomb in the air before the action eventually resumed.

Thistle picked up from where they had left off - on the front foot and looking to press home their slender advantage. The woodwork came to Ayr’s rescue when Fitzpatrick’s curling effort cannoned back off the bar but Albinson was beaten for a second time barely 30 seconds later.

Captain Ross Docherty’s lofted pass found Tiffoney who had wriggled away from his marker inside the box. The playmaker sprayed a low ball across the six-yard box towards the lurking Graham who made no mistake this time as he slotted home from close range.

The momentum had swung fully in Thistle’s favour and Fitzpatrick passed up a glorious chance to add a third when Tiffoney unselfishly decided to knock the ball into the path of the unmarked ex-Norwich City winger, who skied his effort woefully over the top.

Thistle fans were in good voice and enjoying what they were seeing from their team. With 15 minutes remaining, Graham notched his second of the match to give his side an unassailable lead on the night. The 35-year-old turned home the lively Fitzpatrick’s delivery, side-footing back across the keeper into the net.

Ayr looked down-and-out but Thistle survived a late rally from the Honest Men as they tried in vein to breathe some fresh life into the tie. Paul Smith almost scored directly from a corner, forcing Mitchell to back-peddle at full stretch. Moments later, the Jags No.1 produced a superb save to thwart Ben Dempsey after he connected first-time with substitute Jadyen Mitchell-Lawson’s cross.

Smith then rattled the crossbar from a free-kick on the edge of the box in the dying seconds before the hosts broke up the pitch with Danny Mullen’s deflected strike palmed away to safety by Albinson in a thrilling end to the match.

The heavy loss leaves Ayr with a mountain to climb heading into the second leg at Somerset Park next Friday and manager Lee Bullen had no complaints about the result, insisting his side must believe they can overturn the three-goal deficit.

He stated: “It’s been proven (by Sheffield Wednesday) last night and they were 4-0 down, so there is a chance to turn it around, but it’s down to our mindset now. We’re fit enough and we’ve got the ability but we have to defender a lot better.

“I’m really disappointed with the way we conceded the goals. We’ll need to lift the players and try to get the confidence back because they’re all unhappy in that dressing room at the moment. That’s credit to Partick Thistle though, they deserved their win and took their opportunities when they came along.

“I think we gifted them a few but we did create one or two chances ourselves so it gives us a bit of optimism, but you can’t give a player like Brian Graham yards of space and we were punished tonight.”

Partick Thistle (4-2-3-1): Mitchell, McMillan, Holt, Brownlie, Turner, Tiffoney (Dowds; 78), Graham (Mullen; 78), Lawless (McKinnon; 83), Fitzpatrick (MacKenzie; 73), Muirhead, Docherty

Unused: Sneddon (GK), Owens, Stevenson

Ayr United (4-2-3-1): Albinson, Reading, McGinty, Musonda, Hewitt (McAllister; 55), Dempsey, Murdoch, Maguire (Smith; 73), Mullin (Mitchell-Lawson; 55), O’Connor (Ashford; 73), McKenzie (Bryden; 84)

Unused: McAdams (GK), McAlear, Jenkins, Kirk

Referee: Greg Aitken

Attendance: 7,012

GlasgowWorld Man of the Match: Aidan Fitzpatrick (Partick Thistle)