2019–20 Partick Thistle F.C. season

The 2019–20 season was Partick Thistle's second consecutive season in the Scottish Championship, having been relegated from the Scottish Premiership at the end of the 2017–18 season. Partick Thistle also competed in the League Cup, the Scottish Challenge Cup, Scottish Cup and the revived Glasgow Cup. On 15 April, the SPFL voted to end the lower leagues in Scottish football due to the coronavirus pandemic and as a result Partick were relegated to League One after two years in the Championship, which the club decided not to take legal action against.^[1]

Partick Thistle

2019–20 season
Chairman	Jacqui Low
Manager	Gary Caldwell (until 18 September) Ian McCall (from 23 September)
Stadium	Firhill Stadium
Scottish Championship	10th (relegated)
Scottish Cup	Fourth round
League Cup	Quarter-finals
Scottish Challenge Cup	Semi-finals
Top goalscorer	League: Kenny Miller (5) All: Kenny Miller (9)
Highest home attendance	9,542 vs. Celtic, Scottish Cup, 18 January 2020
Lowest home attendance	1,380 vs. Connah's Quay Nomads, Challenge Cup, 12 October 2019
Average home league attendance	3,078
Home colours Away colours
← 2018–19 2020–21 →

Season summary

Following a difficult start to the season, Gary Caldwell was sacked as manager on 18 September after eleven months in charge. At the time of Caldwell's departure, the club had recorded two draws and three losses in the first five games of the league campaign and sat ninth of the ten teams in the Scottish Championship.^[2] On 23 September, Ayr United manager Ian McCall was announced as Caldwell's successor for a second spell at Partick Thistle, having previously managed the club between 2007 and 2011.^[3] Alan Archibald, who had been dismissed as manager in October 2018 after five years in charge,^[4] also returned to the club as assistant manager, with former Ayr United midfielder Neil Scally also joining the coaching staff.^[3]

McCall's first game in charge was Partick Thistle's quarter-final match against Celtic in the Scottish League Cup on 25 September, which Celtic won 5–0.^[5] Three days later the club achieved its first league win of the season with a 3–1 victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle, lifting them from the bottom of the Championship to ninth above Alloa Athletic.^[6] It was not until November that the team's first home win of the season was secured after a 2–1 victory over Greenock Morton, by which time the club had fallen back into last place.^[7]

In November EuroMillions lottery winner Colin Weir assumed overall control of the club after purchasing a majority of club's shares. Weir, who had won a £161 million jackpot in 2011 and had previously contributed £2 million to Partick Thistle, stated his intentions were to donate the majority stake to a fan group by the end of March 2020 to allow fan ownership of the club.^[8] Weir died after a short illness on 27 December,^[9] and was replaced by former chairman Jacqui Low in February 2020.^[10]

On 13 March 2020 all football in Scotland, including the Scottish Championship, was suspended until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.^[11] At the time of suspension Partick Thistle was in last place in the Scottish Championship, two points behind ninth-placed Queen of the South with one game fewer played.^[1] A proposal by the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) to end the season for all leagues prematurely in mid-April 2020, despite an objection from Dundee F.C., led Partick Thistle to announce a legal effort to overturn the decision.^[12] Following Dundee F.C.'s withdrawal of their objection and subsequent support for the SPFL's proposal, the club announced it would not pursue legal action due to the financial cost.^[1] With prize money and promotions and relegations decided on positions achieved at the time of suspension in March,^[12] Partick Thistle were therefore relegated from the Scottish Championship to League One, the first time the club had fallen to the third tier of Scottish football since 2006.^[13]

Competitions

Scottish Championship

Main article: 2019–20 Scottish Championship

Alloa Athletic v Partick Thistle

3 August 2019 1	Alloa Athletic	1 – 1	Partick Thistle	Recreation Park
15:00	Hetherington 34'	Report	Cardle 60'	Attendance: 1,672 Referee: Nick Walsh

Partick Thistle v Dundee United

9 August 2019 2	Partick Thistle	1 – 2	Dundee United	Firhill Stadium
19:05	Saunders 23'	Report	Shankland 55' Pawlett 73'	Attendance: 3,218 Referee: William Collum
Note: Game televised on BBC Scotland

Greenock Morton v Partick Thistle

23 August 2019 3	Greenock Morton	3 – 2	Partick Thistle	Cappielow
19:05	Cadden 72' Sutton 77' McLean 80'	Report	Miller 25' De Vita 28'	Attendance: 2,197 Referee: Bobby Madden
Note: Game televised on BBC Scotland

Partick Thistle v Ayr United

31 August 2019 4	Partick Thistle	2 – 3	Ayr United	Firhill Stadium
15:00	Bannigan 14' (pen.)  65' Gordon 43'  44'	Report	McCowan 24' Doolan 72' Kelly 78'	Attendance: 3,060 Referee: Andrew Dallas

Arbroath v Partick Thistle

13 September 2019 5	Arbroath	1 – 1	Partick Thistle	Gayfield Park
19:05	Thomson 14'	Report	Miller 65'	Attendance: 1,214 Referee: David Munro
Note: Game televised on BBC Scotland

Partick Thistle v Dunfermline Athletic

21 September 2019 6	Partick Thistle	0 – 3	Dunfermline Athletic	Firhill Stadium
15:00		Report		Attendance: 2,820 Referee: Euan Anderson

Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Partick Thistle

28 September 2019 7	Inverness Caledonian Thistle	1 – 3	Partick Thistle	Caledonian Stadium
15:00	White 21'	Report	Zanatta 10' Miller 46' Palmer 82'	Attendance: 2,469 Referee: Don Robertson

Partick Thistle v Queen of the South

5 October 2019 8	Partick Thistle	0 – 1	Queen of the South	Firhill Stadium
15:00		Report	Brownlie 60'	Attendance: 2,910 Referee: Andrew Dallas

Dundee v Partick Thistle

19 October 2019 9	Dundee	1 – 3	Partick Thistle	Dens Park
15:00	McGowan 25'	Report	Miller 85' Gordon 88' Mansell 91'	Attendance: 5,010 Referee: David Munro

Partick Thistle v Arbroath

26 October 2019 10	Partick Thistle	1 – 3	Arbroath	Firhill Stadium
15:00	Bannigan 59'	Report	Donnelly 37' McKenna 74' Hamilton 77'	Attendance: 2,793 Referee: Gavin Ross

Dundee United v Partick Thistle

29 October 2019 11	Dundee United	1 – 0	Partick Thistle	Tannadice Park
19:45	Shankland 62'	Report		Attendance: 6,929 Referee: Greg Aitken

Ayr United v Partick Thistle

2 November 2019 12	Ayr United	4 – 1	Partick Thistle	Somerset Park
15:00	Moore 11', 48' Moffat 18' Forrest 52'	Report	Cardle 79'	Attendance: 2,558 Referee: Willie Collum

Partick Thistle v Greenock Morton

9 November 2019 13	Partick Thistle	2 – 1	Greenock Morton	Firhill Stadium
15:00	Bannigan  53' Gordon 59', 66'	Report	Baird 61'	Attendance: 2,751 Referee: Bobby Madden

Partick Thistle v Alloa Athletic

26 November 2019 14	Partick Thistle	1 – 1	Alloa Athletic	Firhill Stadium
19:45	Zanatta 38'	Report	Trouten 15'	Attendance: 1,714 Referee: David Munro

Dunfermline Athletic v Partick Thistle

30 November 2019 15	Dunfermline Athletic	5 – 1	Partick Thistle	East End Park
15:00	Nesibit 38', 22', 31', 49' Martin 10'	Report	Cole 74'	Attendance: 3, 948 Referee: Mike Roncone

Queen of the South v Partick Thistle

7 December 2019 16	Queen of the South	1 – 2	Partick Thistle	Palmerston Park
15:00	Murray 20'	Report	Cardle 70' Cole 85'	Attendance: 1, 314 Referee: Steven McLean

Partick Thistle v Inverness Caledonian Thistle

14 December 2019 17	Partick Thistle	3 – 1	Inverness Caledonian Thistle	Firhill Stadium
15:00	Jones 48' Saunders 64' Zanatta 93'	Report	Keatings 57'	Attendance: 2,144 Referee: Steven McLean

Partick Thistle v Dundee

21 December 2019 18	Partick Thistle	0 – 1	Dundee	Firhill Stadium
15:00		Report	McGowan 31'	Attendance: 2,957 Referee: Bobby Madden

Greenock Morton v Partick Thistle

28 December 2019 19	Greenock Morton	1 – 2	Partick Thistle	Cappielow Park
15:00	Jacobs 30'	Report	Jones 5' O'Ware 61'	Attendance: 2,742 Referee: Craig Napier

Alloa Athletic v Partick Thistle

4 January 2020 20	Alloa Athletic	1 – 1	Partick Thistle	Recreation Park
15:00	Brown 62'	Report	Bannigan 74'	Attendance: 1, 827 Referee: David Munro

Partick Thistle v Dundee United

11 January 2020 21	Partick Thistle	1 – 4	Dundee United	Firhill Stadium
15:00	Miller 87'	Report	Shankland 38', 60', 65' Sporle 45'	Attendance: 4, 101 Referee: Willie Collum

Arbroath v Partick Thistle

25 January 2020 22	Arbroath	2 – 1	Partick Thistle	Gayfield Park
15:00	McKenna 6' Wighton 34' Virtanen  90+4'	Report	Graham 90+5'	Attendance: 1,418 Referee: David Lowe

Partick Thistle v Ayr United

31 January 2020 23	Partick Thistle	1 – 1	Ayr United	Firhill Stadium
19:05	Graham 33'  38' O'Connor  52' Cardle  61'	Report	Harvie  25' Forrest 52' (pen.) Muirhead  60' Docherty  84'	Attendance: 2,416 Referee: Euan Anderson

Dundee v Partick Thistle

8 February 2020 24	Dundee	2 – 0	Partick Thistle	Dens Park
15:00	Byrne  33' Hemmings 23' 34' McGowan  42' Nelson  89'	Report	Graham  26' Cole  90+7'	Attendance: 4,816 Referee: Collin Steven

Partick Thistle v Queen of the South

3 March 2020 25	Partick Thistle	0 – 0	Queen of the South	Firhill Stadium
19:45	Bannigan  90+3' Cole  90+3'	Report	Pybus  88'	Attendance: 2,122 Referee: David Lowe

Dundee United v Partick Thistle

7 March 2020 26	Dundee United	1 – 1	Partick Thistle	Tannadice Park
15:00	Powers 19' Watson  52' Reynolds  76'	Report	Bannigan 52' (pen.) Mayo  72' Graham  82'	Attendance: 7,603 Referee: Mike Roncone

Partick Thistle v Dunfermline Athletic

10 March 2020 27	Partick Thistle	1 – 1	Dunfermline Athletic	Firhill Stadium
19:45	Graham 90+4'	Report	Beadling  61' Devine  69' Murray 72'	Attendance: 2,078 Referee: Steven Kirkland

Scottish League Cup

Group stage

Main article: 2019–20 Scottish League Cup

Partick Thistle v Airdrieonians

13 July 2019 Group F	Partick Thistle	1 – 0	Airdrieonians	Firhill Stadium
15:00	Crighton 66' (o.g.)	Report		Attendance: 2,241 Referee: Grant Irvine

Queen's Park v Partick Thistle

16 July 2019 Group F	Queen's Park	1 – 2	Partick Thistle	Excelsior Stadium
19:45	Kouider-Aïssa 56'	Report	Miller 6' Robson 36'	Attendance: 944 Referee: David Dickinson

Hamilton Academical v Partick Thistle

20 July 2019 Group F	Hamilton Academical	2 – 2 (6–5 p)	Partick Thistle	New Douglas Park
15:00	Cunningham 17', 54'	Report	Williamson 16' Gordon 73'	Attendance: 1,693 Referee: John Beaton
	Penalties
	Oakley Cunningham McKenna Gogić Smith McMann		Bannigan Gordon Miller Mansell Jones De Vita

Partick Thistle v Clyde

24 July 2019 Group F	Partick Thistle	3 – 2	Clyde	Firhill Stadium
19:45	Gordon 12', 60' Miller 49'	Report	Wallace 25' Bannigan 65' (o.g.)	Attendance: 2,403 Referee: Kevin Graham

Knockout round

Partick Thistle v Ross County

17 August 2019 Second round	Partick Thistle	3 – 2 (a.e.t.)	Ross County	Firhill Stadium
15:00	Miller 80' Penrice 96' Saunders 114'	Report	Spittal 60' Paton 105'	Attendance: 2,053 Referee: Steven McLean

Celtic v Partick Thistle

25 September 2019 Quarter-finals	Celtic	5 – 0	Partick Thistle	Celtic Park
19:45	Bayo 15' Rogic 46' Ntcham 56', 63' Sinclair 76'	Report		Attendance: 25,008 Referee: Steven McLean

Scottish Challenge Cup

Main article: 2019–20 Scottish Challenge Cup

Montrose v Partick Thistle

7 September 2019 Third round	Montrose	0 – 2	Partick Thistle	Links Park
15:00		Report	Cardle 2' Miller 53'	Attendance: 861 Referee: Craig Nappier

Partick Thistle v Connah's Quay Nomads

12 October 2019 Fourth round	Partick Thistle	2 – 0	Connah's Quay Nomads	Firhill Stadium
17:15	De Vita 34' Penrice 77'	Report		Attendance: 1,380
Note: Game televised on S4C

Stenhousemuir v Partick Thistle

16 November 2019 Quarter-Finals	Stenhousemuir	1 – 4	Partick Thistle	Ochilview Park
15:00	Hopkirk 68'		Cole 34' Harkins 70' Slater 79' Miller 86'	Attendance: 1,244

Partick Thistle v Raith Rovers

14 February 2020 Semi-Finals	Partick Thistle	1 – 2	Raith Rovers	Firhill Stadium
19:45	Mansell 83'	Report	Benedictus 31' Hendry 74'	Attendance: 2,196 Referee: Alan Newlands
Note: Game televised on BBC Alba

Scottish Cup

Main article: 2019–20 Scottish Cup

Partick Thistle v Penicuik Athletic

23 November 2019 Third round	Partick Thistle	1 – 0	Penicuik Athletic	Firhill Stadium
15:00	Cole 1'	Report		Attendance: 3,165 Referee: Mike Roncone

Partick Thistle v Celtic

18 January 2020 Fourth round	Partick Thistle	1 – 2	Celtic	Firhill Stadium
17:30	Bannigan 90+3'	Report	Griffiths 12' McGregor 78'	Attendance: 9,542 Referee: Alan Muir

Glasgow Cup

Main article: Glasgow Cup

Rangers Colts v Partick Thistle

27 August 2019 Group stage	Rangers Colts	0 – 2	Partick Thistle	Dumbarton Football Stadium
19:30

Partick Thistle v Queen's Park

1 October 2019 Group stage	Partick Thistle	2 – 1	Queen's Park	Firhill Stadium
19:45

Partick Thistle v Clyde

3 December 2019 Group stage	Partick Thistle	9 – 1	Clyde	Firhill Stadium
19:00		Report

Celtic Colts v Partick Thistle

17 December 2019 Group stage	Celtic Colts	1 – 1	Partick Thistle	Dumbarton Football Stadium
19:00

Partick Thistle v Rangers Colts

21 January 2020 Group stage	Partick Thistle	1 – 2	Rangers Colts	Firhill Stadium
19:00

Queen's Park v Partick Thistle

5 February 2020 Group stage	Queen's Park	1 – 1	Partick Thistle	Lesser Hampden
19:30

Clyde v Partick Thistle

18 February 2020 Group stage	Clyde	3 – 1	Partick Thistle	Broadwood Stadium
20:15		Report

Squad statistics

Appearances

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Championship		Scottish Cup		League Cup		Challenge Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	SCO	Jamie Sneddon	8	0	6	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
2	DF	SCO	Ryan Williamson	25	1	15	0	1	0	6	1	3	0
3	DF	SCO	James Penrice	36	2	25	0	2	0	5	1	4	1
4	DF	SCO	Tam O'Ware	30	1	19	1	2	0	5	0	4	0
5	DF	SCO	Darren Brownlie	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	DF	SCO	Lewis Mayo	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	MF	ENG	Joe Cardle	32	4	22	3	0	0	6	0	4	1
8	MF	SCO	Stuart Bannigan	33	5	24	4	1	1	6	0	2	0
9	FW	SCO	Brian Graham	6	2	5	2	0	0	0	0	1	0
10	FW	ENG	Alex Jones	17	2	12	2	0	0	4	0	1	0
12	MF	ENG	Reece Cole	24	4	18	2	2	1	1	0	3	1
14	MF	NIR	Shea Gordon	22	7	15	4	0	0	6	3	1	0
15	DF	ENG	Thomas Robson	27	1	15	0	2	0	6	1	4	0
16	MF	SCO	Darian MacKinnon	3	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
18	FW	ENG	Lewis Mansell	21	2	12	1	0	0	6	0	3	1
19	FW	CAN	Dario Zanatta	28	4	22	3	2	0	3	0	1	1
20	MF	SCO	Jamie Barjonas	5	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	DF	IRL	Lee O'Connor	5	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
22	GK	SCO	Scott Fox	30	0	20	0	2	0	4	0	4	0
23	FW	SCO	Zak Rudden	4	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
30	MF	SEN	Mouhamed Niang	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
32	FW	SCO	Evan Golasso	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
33	GK	SCO	Luke Scullion	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
35	MF	SCO	Dean Watson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
43	DF	SCO	Steven Saunders	24	3	16	2	2	0	4	1	2	0
77	FW	AUS	Mitch Austin	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Players who left the club during the 2019–20 season
5	DF	NIR	Ben Hall	5	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
6	DF	IRL	Sean McGinty	28	0	19	0	1	0	6	0	2	0
9	FW	SCO	Kenny Miller	32	9	21	5	2	0	6	3	3	1
11	MF	SCO	Gary Harkins	12	1	9	0	2	0	0	0	1	1
16	MF	NIR	Cammy Palmer	20	0	13	0	0	0	6	0	1	0
17	MF	SCO	Craig Slater	10	1	6	0	2	0	0	0	2	1
20	MF	SCO	Callum Wilson	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
23	MF	ITA	Raffaele De Vita	16	2	9	1	0	0	4	0	3	1
24	MF	SLE	Osman Kakay	13	0	11	0	1	0	0	0	1	0

Club statistics

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	PPG	Promotion, qualification or relegation[a]
6	Dunfermline Athletic	28	10	7	11	41	36	+5	37	1.32
7	Greenock Morton	28	10	6	12	45	52	−7	36	1.29
8	Alloa Athletic	28	7	10	11	33	43	−10	31	1.11
9	Queen of the South	28	7	7	14	28	40	−12	28	1.00
10	Partick Thistle (R)	27	6	8	13	32	47	−15	26	0.96	Relegation to League One

Source: SPFL
Rules for classification: 1) Points per game.
(R) Relegated
Notes:

1. All play-off matches were cancelled, as clubs voted to curtail the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland.^[14]

League Cup table

Main article: 2019–20 Scottish League Cup § Group F

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		PAR	HAM	AIR	QPA	CLY
1	Partick Thistle	4	3	0	1	0	8	5	+3	10	Qualification for the Second Round		—	—	1–0	—	3–2
2	Hamilton Academical	4	2	1	1	0	8	5	+3	9			p2–2	—	—	0–0p	—
3	Airdrieonians	4	1	1	0	2	7	8	−1	5			—	2–3	—	p2–2	—
4	Queen's Park	4	0	2	1	1	4	5	−1	5			1–2	—	—	—	p1–1
5	Clyde	4	0	0	1	3	6	10	−4	1			—	1–3	2–3	—	—

Source: ^[15]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.^[16]

Transfers

Main articles: List of Scottish football transfers summer 2019 and List of Scottish football transfers winter 2019-20

In Date Position Nationality Name From Fee 15 May 2019 MF Shea Gordon Motherwell Free[17] 15 May 2019 DF Ryan Williamson Dunfermline Athletic Free[18] 14 June 2019 MF Lewis Mansell Blackburn Rovers Free[19] 21 June 2019 DF Thomas Robson Falkirk Free[20] 26 June 2019 FW Kenny Miller Dundee Free[21] 1 July 2019 GK Scott Fox Ross County Free[22] 13 July 2019 FW Alex Jones Bradford City Free[23] 24 July 2019 FW Mitch Austin Sydney FC Free[24] 26 August 2019 DF Ben Hall Brighton & Hove Albion Free[25] 27 August 2019 FW Dario Zanatta Heart of Midlothian Free[26] 13 January 2020 MF Darian MacKinnon Hamilton Academical Free[27] 15 January 2020 FW Zak Rudden Rangers Undisclosed[28] 23 January 2020 FW Brian Graham Ross County Free[29] 27 January 2020 DF Darren Brownlie Queen of the South Undisclosed[30] 27 January 2020 FW Blair Lyons Montrose Undisclosed[31]

Out Date Position Nationality Name From Fee 8 May 2019 FW Scott McDonald Western United Free[32] 9 May 2019 DF Niall Keown Retired Free[33] 14 May 2019 DF Christie Elliott Carlisle United Free[34] 27 May 2019 FW Souleymane Coulibaly Étoile Sportive du Sahel Free[35] 4 June 2019 MF Blair Spittal Ross County Free[36] 10 June 2019 FW Ally Roy Airdrieonians Free[37] 20 June 2019 GK Cammy Bell Falkirk Free[38] 24 June 2019 FW Kris Doolan Ayr United Free[39] 5 July 2019 MF Aidan Fitzpatrick Norwich City £350,000[40] 6 July 2019 GK Aaron Lennox Montrose Free[41] 12 July 2019 MF Andrew McCarthy Queen of the South Free[42] 3 August 2019 FW Miles Storey Inverness CT Free[43] 8 January 2020 DF Ben Hall Falkirk Free[44] 16 February 2020 MF Callum Wilson Dumbarton Free[45] 23 January 2020 FW Kenny Miller Retired Free[46] 29 January 2020 MF Craig Slater Queen's Park Free[47] 29 January 2020 DF Sean McGinty Greenock Morton Free[48] 7 February 2020 MF Gary Harkins Stenhousemuir Free[49]

Loans in Date Position Nationality Name From Fee 10 July 2019 MF Cammy Palmer Rangers Loan[50] 18 July 2019 MF Raffaele De Vita Livingston Loan[51] 2 September 2019 MF Reece Cole Brentford Loan[52] 2 September 2019 DF Osman Kakay Queens Park Rangers Loan[53] 20 January 2020 MF Jamie Barjonas Rangers Loan[54] 21 January 2020 DF Lee O'Connor Celtic Loan[55] 31 January 2020 DF Lewis Mayo Rangers Loan[56]

Loans out Date Position Nationality Name From Fee 27 January 2020 FW Blair Lyons Montrose Loan[57]

See also

• List of Partick Thistle F.C. seasons