Statistical Preview: Partick Thistle vs Ayr United

Both teams come into this round of 16 tie with one loss and one draw in the Championship. They will both be hoping to move on from this and revive the form that progressed them from the group stages of the League Cup.

Partick Thistle’s Form Guide

Using the Partick Thistle vs Ayr United Match Stats on Andy’s Bet Club, Partick Thistle started the season strong, winning all of the League Cup group stage games, including a notable victory over Premiership side Ross County.

Their league form has been less successful, with a heavy defeat to St. Johnstone followed by a 1-1 draw against Greenock Morton:

●      1–1 Draw vs Greenock Morton (H) – Championship
●      5–1 Loss vs St. Johnstone (A) – Championship
●      1–3 Win vs Ross County (A) – League Cup
●      2–0 Win vs Queen of the South (H) – League Cup
●      2–0 Win vs Stranraer (H) – League Cup

Partick Thistle’s Matches This Season: 

  
As you can see in the table above, Partick Thistle’s last game against Greenock Morton was a very even affair, particularly in the main attacking statistics.

A more detailed look shows their approach in possession, with 48 passes completed into the final third compared to 17 for Morton, and they averaged a higher 4.5 passes per possession.

Combined with their high share of possession, this suggests they build attacks patiently rather than taking every shooting opportunity. However, this did not produce a goal from open play, with their only strike coming from the penalty spot with a very dubious award.

Defensively, Partick Thistle competed in fewer duels, which is not surprising given their possession, but in these duels, they were less effective, only winning 51% compared to 69% for Morton. 

 
Their first game of the season against St. Johnstone was a very different contest.

Partick Thistle opened the scoring in the 15th minute, but by half-time, St. Johnstone had overturned this advantage and were 3-1 up. Most of the goals conceded came from attacks in wide areas, either through crosses or cutting inside and taking a shot.

This is shown by the high average shot distance of 17.8m. One positive for Partick Thistle was their performance in duels, winning 58% of aerial contests and 67% of defensive duels.
 
Partick Thistle’s One to Watch:

Logan Chalmers: A technical right winger who scored seven and assisted six last season. The former Ayr United man has already found the net this season against Morton from the penalty spot and recorded five key passes and seven completed dribbles.

This shows a high ability to influence the game in multiple ways, making him a hard player to stop.
 
Final Thoughts:

A key part of Partick Thistle’s game is the number of passes played into the final third and their overall high passing accuracy of 78% compared to Ayr’s 73%, highlighting their playing style of retaining possession and playing safer passes into attacking areas. However, their ability to turn possession into goalscoring opportunities has been limited, with a shot accuracy of only 19% compared to the league average of 40%. This suggests Ayr may benefit from continuing to restrict opponents to long-range efforts, with their current average shot distance conceded at 21m.

When going forward, The Honest Men could continue with their high use of long balls with an average of 76, as this is a tactic Partick Thistle have not come up against this season, with St. Johnstone attempting just 40. Given Ayr’s high crossing accuracy of 41% and aerial win rate of 55% which is just higher than 53% of Partick Thistle, increasing their crossing frequency could help create more chances.

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