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• Kris Doolan insists Partick Thistle will not sit back in second leg

  Kris Doolan insists Partick Thistle will go for goals again in their cinch Premiership play-off final second leg after their 2-0 win over 10-man Ross County at Firhill.

  Jags winger Aidan Fitzpatrick opened the scoring in the ninth minute before 16-year-old Staggies defender Dylan Smith was sent off by referee David Munro eight minutes later for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, after the official upgraded a yellow card to red following the intervention of the VAR Andrew Dallas.

  Striker Brian Graham volleyed in a second for the Championship outfit just before the break to give them the advantage for the return game in Dingwall.

  Boss Doolan said: “It was a brilliant win for us – but it could have been more.

  “If you’d offered us 2-0 before the game, we would obviously have taken your hand off. But it could have been more. To me, it maybe should have been more.

  “Part of that is down to Ross County defending well and throwing their bodies on the line.

  “Their goalie also made a good save at the end to tip one on to the bar. If we had managed to get a third, it might well have been a different game.

  “But we know it’s not over. There’s still another game to be played on Sunday. We only have one way of playing – and we will go out and look to do the same in Dingwall.

  “We know that if we can go there and win the game, we will be back in the Premiership.”

  Staggies boss Malky Mackay was happy to leave Glasgow only two goals down and retains belief for the second leg.

  He said: “We started fairly brightly and created a couple of half chances.

  “But we lost a bad goal. It was a great strike from Fitzpatrick but poor defending from our lads that were out facing it.

  “I thought we were doing okay at that point but then we lost young Dylan.

  “He’s a great kid and has been terrific in his first season as a pro but in retrospect he’s nicked the boy and it was a sending off.

  “That obviously gives us a mountain to climb.

  “We then lose the goal just before half-time and when I got the boys back inside, I said to them the challenge was to make sure we come out here no worse than two-down.

  “I didn’t want us to sink in to our own penalty box as that would have just been carnage. So to see us threaten them a few times was what I needed.

  “Second half I was really proud of them and at only two-down, there is plenty to play for on Sunday.”

• Partick Thistle hold upper hand after first-leg victory over Ross County

  Partick Thistle are in the box seat for a return to the cinch Premiership following their 2-0 play-off final first leg win over 10-man Ross County at Firhill.

  Jags winger Aidan Fitzpatrick opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a terrific strike before 16-year-old Staggies defender Dylan Smith was sent off by referee David Munro eight minutes later for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, after the official upgraded a yellow card to red following the intervention of the VAR Andrew Dallas.

  In front of 7,291 fans, Thistle’s 35-year-old striker Brian Graham volleyed in a second for the Championship outfit just before the break to take his season tally to 21 and the home side could and should have scored more against a team a man down for most of the game.

  However, Kris Doolan’s inventive side – now unbeaten in 11 games – will travel to Dingwall for the second leg on Sunday, buoyed with confidence while Malky Mackay’s men must dig deep if they are to retain their top-flight status.

  Thistle, the first club to reach a Premiership play-off final after finishing fourth in the second tier, exploded into the game.

  Winger Steve Lawless’s drive after skipping past Smith was saved by Staggies keeper Ross Laidlaw for a corner which he held.

  However, the home side were soon ahead.

  Fitzpatrick took a crossfield pass from Lawless, nipped in between Victor Loturi and Owura Edwards and from 16 yards curled the ball past Laidlaw into the far corner of the net before taking the acclaim of the fans.

  More drama followed.

  Smith was initially booked by Munro for fouling Fitzpatrick on the edge of the box as he attempted to race through on goal.

  However, after going off to check the pitch side monitor – VAR was in operation for the first time at Firhill – the referee returned to flash a red and the visitors were down to 10 men, with defender Keith Watson immediately coming on for striker Alex Samuel before skipper Ross Docherty lifted the free-kick well over the bar.

  In the 34th minute Graham connected with a Kyle Turner corner but Laidlaw was down smartly to save.

  County edged forward as often as they could but they appeared susceptible to losing a second, with Graham thundering a drive over from the edge of the box.

  The former Ross County and Dundee United forward was much more accurate from another Turner corner, volleying in from 12 yards to send the Glasgow side into the break on a high.

  Ben Purrington replaced George Harmon, who had been booked, for the start of the second half as the Dingwall side looked to keep themselves in the tie but within minutes Thistle’s Kevin Holt had volleyed over the Staggies crossbar from eight yards.

  Thistle then swarmed all over the visitors and should have added to their lead.

  Graham had a goal-bound drive blocked for a corner by centre-back Jack Randall before Scott Tiffoney also saw his effort from inside the box hit County defender Connor Randall and then Laidlaw somehow kept out a close-range header from Graham.

  County hinted at a threat occasionally and in the 64th minute Jags defender Aaron Muirhead brilliantly blocked a shot from Staggies forward Jordan White.

  The  Dingwall side pushed for a lifeline which never arrived, the home side finishing in control with substitute Danny Mullen cracking the bar with a powerful drive and they will surely travel to Dingwall on Sunday more in belief than hope.

• JFF names provisional 50-man squad for Concacaf Gold Cup

  The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) named a strong 50-man provisional squad for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup scheduled for June 24-July 16 in Canada and the United States.

  The big names in the squad are regulars Leon Bailey, Michail Antonio as well as newcomer Demarai Gray.

  Amari’i Bell, who helped Luton Town advance to the Premier League over the weekend, is also among the names in contention for the final 23-man squad.

  The full squad is as follows:

  Goalkeepers: Amal Knight (Lexington SC), Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union), Coniah Boyce-Clarke (Reading), Corey Addai (Crawley Town), Jahmali Waite (Pittsburgh Riverhounds), Kemar Foster (Waterhouse FC)

  Defenders: Adrian Mariappa (Salford City), Alvas Powell (FC Cincinnati), Amari’i Bell (Luton Town), Damion Lowe (Philadelphia Union), Dexter Lembikisa (Wolves), Dishon Bernard (Portsmouth FC), Ethan Pinnock (Brentford FC), Fitzroy Cummings (Vere United), Gregory Leigh (Ipswich Town), Ian Fray (Inter Miami), Javain Brown (Vancouver Whitecaps), Joel Latibeaudiere (Swansea City), Kemar Lawrence (Minnesota United), Luke Badley-Morgan (Stoke City), Oshane Stape (Harbour View), Ricardo Thomas (Dunbeholden), Richard King (IBV), Wesley Harding (Rotherham United)

  Midfielders: Bobby Reid (Fulham), Daniel Johnson (Preston North End), Delano Splatt (Fulham), Demario Phillips (Mount Pleasant), Devon Williams (Colorado Switchback), Jonathan Russell (Barnsley), Kevon Lambert (Phoenix Rising), Lamar Walker (Portmore United), Michael Hector (Charlton Athletic), Omari Hutchinson (Chelsea), Ravel Morrison (DC United)

  Attackers: Atapharoy Bygrave (Mount Pleasant), Collin Anderson (Cavalier SC), Cory Burke (NY Red Bulls), Daniel Green (Ho Chi Minh City), Demarai Gray (Everton), Dujuan Richards (Phoenix Academy), Jamal Lowe (Queens Park Rangers), Junior Flemmings (Toulouse), Kaheem Parris (Dynamo Kyiv), Kemar Roofe (Rangers), Leon Bailey (Aston Villa), Michail Antonio (West Ham United), Renaldo Cephas (KF Schkupi), Shamar Nicholson (Spartak Moscow), Trivante Stewart (Mount Pleasant)