Josh McPake gets a hat-trick as St Johnstone make a flying start
Patrick Reading fired Thistle into an early lead but their joy proved short-lived as Jamie Gullan levelled and McPake struck twice before the interval.
McPake put the result beyond doubt when he completed his treble early in the second half and Stevie Mallan wrapped up the scoring with a fine free-kick eight minutes from time.
The intriguing clash between Billy Davies' Morton and Neil Lennon's Dunfermline at Cappielow Park ended in a goalless draw.
Former Derby and Nottingham Forest boss Davies, the recently appointed technical head coach of the Greenock club, was in the dugout for the first time in Scottish football since 2001 as manager Dougie Imrie missed the match for personal reasons.
He was unable to get one over former Celtic manager Lennon, whose Pars side had the better of a feisty affair that saw both bosses booked.
Euan Henderson scored twice as Airdrieonians powered back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Ross County at the Albert Bartlett Stadium.
Two headers from corners in each half from Akil Wright had put the visitors on course for what seemed a routine victory.
Henderson began the fightback just after the hour and then equalised from a free-kick 16 minutes from time.
Raith Rovers and Queen's Park also had to settle for a point apiece after their encounter at Stark's Park ended 1-1.
It was a game of two penalties with Michael Ruth netting from the spot for the visitors after 10 minutes and Dylan Easton doing likewise for the hosts nine minutes from time.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
43 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Michael Stewart embraces Hearts statement by Tony Bloom regarding challenging Rangers and Celtic
The pundit embraces Tony Bloom statement regarding challenging the Old Firm Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Michael Stewart has asked a teasing Hearts and Rangers themed question as Tony Bloom's investment rolls into Gorgie. Most Hearts fans were left delighted when they heard that the majority shareholder at English Premier League side, Brighton and Hove Albion, would be investing £9.86m in their club. He has now made a statement at a question and answer event for the Foundation of Hearts, outlining that he'd be disappointed if at least one league title was not won with Hearts in the next decade. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Bloom also went on to say that it's not good for Scottish football to be a 'one or two club show' and that The Jambos could potentially come second as soon as this season. The statement of intent has gone down a treat with Hearts fans as well as with supporters across the board of non old firm sides. Former Hearts midfielder turned outspoken pundit, Michael Stewart believes the statement from Bloom was a positive one and is refreshing for the Scottish game. Whereas his Premier Sports Social Club counterpart and former Rangers man, Alan Hutton wasn't so sure. Stewart believes Bloom statement will breed 'greater interest' in Scottish game Speaking on the Social Club, Stewart said: 'Forget even about Hearts fans, remember the way neutrals felt when Aberdeen went on an unbelievable run at the start of last season, it is exactly what is needed, I could not agree more with what Tony Bloom is saying. 'Greater competition breeds greater interest and it is brilliant to hear. Also you are talking about a guy who has a track record with clubs that he has been involved with, the main one being Union Saint Gilloise, he's done brilliant with his connection at Como as well where he's brought in players that have been sold for big money. For him to be coming out and talk about looking to win at least one title in the next decade, I think that is music to the ears of all neutrals in Scottish football.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Stewart then went on to half-jokingly ask Alan Hutton if he thinks Hearts will win a title before Rangers, to which the former right back responded with a swift 'no.' Bloom's track record speaks for itself Whether you agree with Stewart or not, there is no denying that he is 100% accurate when talking about Bloom's track record. Union Saint Gilloise hadn't won a Belgian top tier title for 90 years and were languishing in the second division before Bloom came along and transformed them into Pro League champions last year. Furthermore, during his time at Brighton he has turned them into a prominent Premier League side, who are arguably one of the best run clubs in the English top flight. The Seagulls have brought in talent such as Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Leandro Trossard over the past five years and have made a profit of over £200m on these players alone.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Rangers and Celtic make major calls on whether to accept SPFL help and postpone Premiership clashes due to qualifiers
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RANGERS have confirmed that they will postpone their clash with St Mirren later this month should they reach the Champions League playoffs. After years of being criticised for not doing enough to help their teams in Europe, all Scottish clubs have the option to postpone one fixture on matchday three should they reach the playoff round of qualifying of their respective competitions. 3 Russell Martin faced a major decision Credit: Willie Vass 3 Brendan Rodgers Head coach of Celtic looks on prior to kick off in the Como Cup Credit: Getty Dundee Utd vs Aberdeen, scheduled for that same weekend, has also been postponed due to the Dons involvement in the Europa League playoffs - with Hibs also indicating their clash with Falkirk will be put back if they reach the Conference League playoff round. Celtic too are in playoff round action against either Slovan Bratislava or Kairat Almaty but they've decided to press on with their home clash with Livingston - and will be hopeful of extending their current advantage over the Gers and other sides at the top of the table. Rangers wrote: "Our fixture against St Mirren at the SMiSA Stadium has now been rescheduled for Sunday, 24 August, kicking off at 12 noon and will be shown live on Sky Sports. "However, following a request from the club, should we progress to the UEFA Champions League play-off round, we will exercise the option to postpone the match and it will be played at a later date." The SPFL wrote: "The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) can today provide a further update on match arrangements for round three of the William Hill Premiership. "As previously confirmed, Dundee United v Aberdeen on Saturday August 23 has been postponed following a request by Aberdeen, who will be participating in the Europa League play-offs. "The new policy, which allows clubs involved in UEFA play-off matches to postpone their round three fixtures, was approved by the SPFL Board in April to support clubs aiming to reach the league phase of UEFA competitions. "Falkirk v Hibernian was selected by Premier Sports for live broadcast on Saturday August 23, kick-off 5.45pm, but, as earlier announced, following a request from Hibernian will also be postponed if they overcome FK Partizan to reach the Conference League play-off round. "St Mirren v Rangers has been selected for live coverage on Sky Sports on Sunday August 24, kick-off 12 noon, but following a request from Rangers will be postponed if they reach the play-off round of the Champions League. "Following discussions with Celtic, their home match versus Livingston remains scheduled for 3.00pm on Saturday August 23, alongside Hearts v Motherwell and Kilmarnock v Dundee. Players are running the Rangers dressing room - Martin knows EXACTLY what he's doing "New dates for postponed round three matches will be announced following publication of the UEFA league phase fixtures at the end of August." 3 Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Scotsman
Jimmy Thelin in Hearts confession as Aberdeen boss waves the white flag after bruising Gorgie defeat
The Aberdeen boss was critical of his team - whilst sending a clear message on Hearts. Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Jimmy Thelin has made a statement on Hearts after they put his Aberdeen team to the sword. The Jambos got their 2025/26 Scottish Premiership campaign off to a flyer on Monday with a comfortable 2-0 win over Aberdeen at Tynecastle. A Graeme Shinnie own goal gave the hosts a lead in the first half, before a brave header from Stuart Findlay sealed the three points. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Victory maintains Hearts 100% win record to the start of this season, following the Gorgie side's comfortable run in the Premier Sports Cup group stage. After a tough 24/25 campaign, Derek McInnes as head coach and investment from Tony Bloom looks to have changed the atmosphere in Gorgie and with no European football, they can concentrate solely on domestic competitions. On the other hand, whilst showing glimpses, Aberdeen didn't play to the levels that won them the Scottish Cup. Boss Thelin vented his frustration after the match as he assessed proceedings in the capital. Jimmy Thelin believes Aberdeen 'were not really there' in Hearts defeat Aberdeen haven't won at Tynecastle since 2017 and for Thelin's men, that record was only prolonged on Monday night. The Aberdeen boss wasn't impressed with his side's performance and admitted Hearts were the better team on the day. Thelin said: 'We had an idea of how we were going to take on the game today in the first half with the ball, and we didn't succeed in that. "Hearts put good pressure on us, and then they win these second balls and create a momentum with the crosses. They were better in the first half. I think in the second half we got better with the ball and started creating some chances in their box, but we were not really clinical. We were not really there." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Last season Aberdeen got off to a dream start, going unbeaten in their first eleven matches, before a dramatic decline in the winter. The season did however end up a successful one in The Granite City as they won their first Scottish Cup in 35 years. That being said, Thelin will be hoping for more consistency from his team this year. A perfect start for The Jambos Derek McInnes' start to life on the East Coast couldn't have started any better. New signings Claudio Braga, Alexandros Kyzridis, Oisin McEntee, Christian Borchgrevnik and Tomas Bent Magnusson all featured last night, giving the new additions a taste of what competitive football entails in the top tier of Scottish football. McInnes will also be happy with the performance of Harry Milne who looks a suitable replacement for James Penrice in the left back position. He will also be hoping that Craig Halkett can get a good run of games under his belt after injury struggles in recent seasons, as he too put on an impressive display against Aberdeen.
