Stanway boosts Partick Thistle promotion push as Livingston visit in live BBC Scotland match

What the report says

Partick Thistle manager Mark Wilson says Ben Stanway’s decision to sign a surprise one-year contract extension was strongly influenced by the club’s push to return to the Scottish Premiership. The 21-year-old midfielder had been expected to leave Firhill after a strong season in which he scored 12 goals, but he has now committed to the Glasgow side after more than 100 appearances for the club.

BBC Sport reports that Stanway, a Thistle academy graduate who has been with the club since he was 11, had attracted interest from Premiership teams during last season. Wilson said the club had long feared losing him, but that regular contact, including conversations involving assistant manager Alex Rae, helped keep the door open to a stay. He described Stanway as eager to help Thistle achieve something special and noted the emotional pull of promotion for a player so closely tied to the club.

The contract news comes ahead of Friday’s live BBC Scotland coverage of Partick Thistle’s home match against Livingston, another promotion contender, in the Scottish Championship. Thistle opened the season with a 1-0 away win at Greenock Morton. Wilson hopes Stanway can play a part in helping the club reach the top flight for the first time since 2018, which would be a major step in their promotion campaign.