Partick Thistle avenge Premiership play-off defeat by knocking Ross County out of the Scottish Cup in Dingwall

Ross County 0

Partick Thistle 3 (Graham, Robinson, Bannigan)

Partick Thistle were able to avenge their Premiership play-off loss to Ross County last June by knocking the Staggies out of the Scottish Cup.

Former County striker Brian Graham opened the scoring in the Jags' favour, with Scott Robinson making it 2-0 with the last action of the first half.

Stuart Bannigan then scored a world class finish just inside 10 minutes of the restart to put the results beyond doubt – with County unable to mount the same kind of comeback they managed at the end of last season.

If memories of their last trip to Dingwall were still fresh in Partick's minds, it did not show early on as the visitors started on the front foot.

Some nice passing moves struggled to break into sights of goal though, and both goalkeepers had a quiet half hour.

New Ross County signing Eli King did get Jamie Sneddon scrambling across his line with an effort from a long way out that went just wide of the mark, before Partick went up the other end of the park and took the lead.

It was a cross from Aidan Fitzpatrick on the left flank for the Jags that found its way through to Brian Graham at the back post, with the experienced forward left with a tap in to put his former side behind.

Partick would extend their advantage with the last move of the first half, with Kerr McInroy charging on to a cut-back to the corner of the box and shooting – only for his effort to be blocked into the path of Scott Robinson, who was left with another simple finish to go 2-0 up.

Derek Adams made a triple change at the break to try and force some attacking output, bringing on James Brown, Jay Henderson and Jordan White, and it certainly seemed to make a difference.

Within five minutes of the restart, Yan Dhanda, Henderson and White all had good chances to shoot – but none of them could find a way past Sneddon.

Any momentum County had been building was quickly dismissed, though, when Stuart Bannigan scored with a phenomenal finish in the 54th minute.

The ball sat up nicely for the midfielder 25 yards out, and he volleyed the ball past Wickens and into the bottom corner to send Partick 3-0 up – and send the travelling Jags supporters back down to Glasgow celebrating.

Ross County: Wickens, Randall, Dhanda, Sims, Sheaf, Loturi, Murray, Harmon, King, Nightingale, Leak.

Substitutes: Laidlaw, Borthwick-Jackson, Brown, Henderson, White, Brophy, Reid.

Partick Thistle: Sneddon, McMillan, Milne, Muirhead, Neilson, McInroy, Bannigan, Graham, Lawless, Robinson, Fitzpatrick.

Substitutes: Stewart, Williams, Alston, Stanway, Lyon, Mackenzie, Taggart, Diack, Adeloye.

Referee: David Dickinson

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