Ayr United 1
Partick Thistle 1
League (Championship)


Ayr United
1 - 1
Partick Thistle 

League (Championship)
Saturday, April 4th, 2026
Somerset Park
Attendance: 3,253

Goalscorers
Jamie Murphy (pen.) (77)
Cale Loughrey (69)

Team Managers
John Rankin
Mark Wilson

Starting Eleven
1. David Mitchell
20. Leon King
3. Liam Dick
4. Shaun Want
33. Scott McMann
5. Kevin Holt
17. Jude Bonnar
23. Marcus Rus
8. Ben Dempsey
14. Kyle Ure
6. Stuart Bannigan
Josh Clarke .12
Paddy Reading .3
Lee Ashcroft .5
Ethan Ingram .17
Daniel O'Reilly .20
Ben McPherson .24
Robbie Crawford .14
Aidan Fitzpatrick .21
Ben Stanway .26
Fraser Taylor .30
Alex Samuel .9

Bench
31. Max Thompson
55. George Finney
32. Dylan Watret
12. Francis Turley
16. Ben Summers
22. Mark McKenzie
15. Jamie Murphy
18. Jamie Hislop
7. Anton Dowds
Lewis Budinauckas .1
Cammy Logan .2
Luke McBeth 19
Cale Loughrey .22
Kyle Turner .6
Gary Mackay-Steven .11
Matthew Falconer .39
Tsoanelo Letsosa .64
Ricco Diack .18

Substitutions
Ben Summers for Jude Bonnar (33)
Jamie Murphy for Kyle Ure (61)
George Finney for Marcus Rus (87)
Cale Loughrey for Daniel O'Reilly (46)
Tsoanelo Letsosa for Robbie Crawford (60)
Ricco Diack for Aidan Fitzpatrick (67)
Luke McBeth for Alex Samuel (90)
Kyle Turner for Fraser Taylor (90)

Cautions
Marcus Rus (6)
Ben Dempsey (20)
Stuart Bannigan (25)
Robbie Crawford (14)
Lee Ashcroft (36)
Cale Loughrey (75)
Ethan Ingram (90)

Red Cards
None. Lee Ashcroft (58)
Match Officials

Ross Hardie (Referee)


Photography by Donald Wilson

Match Report


Ayr United fought back to earn a dramatic 1-1 draw against Partick Thistle in a tense and physical encounter that came to life in the second half.

After a scrappy opening period featuring several bookings and few clear chances, the match remained goalless at half-time. Ayr were forced into an early change when Jude Bonnar departed injured midway through the first half, with Ben Summers introduced in his place.

The game shifted significantly after the interval. Partick Thistle defender Lee Ashcroft, already on a booking, was sent off in the 58th minute after bringing down Anton Dowds, leaving the visitors to play the final half hour with 10 men.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Partick struck first. Substitute Cale Loughrey made an instant impact after coming on at half-time, bundling home from close range in the 69th minute following a corner to give the visitors a surprise lead.

Ayr responded with sustained pressure and were rewarded in the 75th minute when Dowds won a penalty after being fouled by Loughrey inside the area. Jamie Murphy stepped up confidently and fired his penalty into the top-left corner to level the match at 1-1.

Both sides pushed for a winner in a frantic closing spell. Marco Rus came close for Ayr, while Partick continued to threaten on the counter despite being down to 10 men. Late corners and stoppage-time pressure failed to produce another breakthrough, and the points were ultimately shared.

Match report written by BBC



Squad Statistics (as at April 4th, 2026)


2025-26 All Time
Age
David Mitchell (GK)36 22 - 22 -
Kevin Holt33 354354
Scott McMann29 411822
Shaun Want29 17 - 17 -
Liam Dick30 311311
Leon King22 291291
Kyle Ure20 19 - 19 -
Ben Dempsey26 29415520
Marcus Rus23 331726
Jude Bonnar20 301301
Stuart Bannigan33 31 - 565
George Finney (sub)18 141141
Ben Summers (sub)21 11 - 11 -
Jamie Murphy (sub)36 2479620






League Table (as at April 4th, 2026)


Pld W D L Pts
1. St Johnstone 32 18 11 3 65
2. Partick Thistle 32 16 12 4 60
3. Arbroath 32 12 11 9 47
4. Dunfermline At 30 11 7 12 40
5. Raith Rovers 31 9 9 13 36
6. Ayr United 31 7 15 9 36
7. Queen's Park 31 8 12 11 36
8. Morton 32 8 12 12 36
9. Ross County 32 7 10 15 31
10. Airdrieonians 31 7 9 15 30