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• 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)

   

• Leeds owner Radrizzani ‘appalling’ over reported Elland Road loan security deal

  A Leeds fans’ group has accused chairman Andrea Radrizzani of “appalling” behaviour and demanded he immediately sells the club and Elland Road.

  Leeds United Supporters Club (LUSC) has responded to The Athletic’s report that majority shareholder Radrizzani had offered to use the Elland Road stadium as collateral when securing a £26million bank loan to buy Sampdoria.

  Radrizzani’s company Aser Group, in partnership with finance company Gestio Capital, concluded a takeover of the debt-ridden Italian club on Tuesday night.

  The 48-year-old signed off an agreement in principle to use Elland Road as collateral in order to borrow the funds needed from Italian bank Banca Sistema to complete the deal, it was reported.

  The Athletic said it was not known whether Elland Road was included in the final deal, or if Radrizzani’s company and partner Gestio Capital were able to secure the loan via a different method.

  LUSC chairman Lord Mann said in a statement: “Andrea Radrizzani is no longer an appropriate person to own Leeds United.

  “His behaviour is appalling and he risks never being welcome at our club again.”

  It had been expected that Radrizzani’s buy-out at Sampdoria would expedite the sale of his 56 per cent stake in Leeds to American co-owners 49ers Enterprises.

  The financial arm of NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers increased its stake in Leeds to 44 per cent at the end of 2021 with a deal in place to buy Radrizzani’s stake and take full control before January 2024.

  But in a personal statement posted on Twitter on Wednesday night, Radrizzani made no mention of a possible change of ownership at Leeds when apologising to fans for their relegation from the Premier League.

  Lord Mann added: “The sooner he goes the better and we look forward to the 49ers Enterprises’ offer being accepted.

  “The only way he can begin to salvage his reputation is through an immediate sale of the club and the stadium.

  “There will be a major question mark about whether he is a fit and proper person to own a football club if he attempts to stay on as owner.”

  It was also reported that co-owners 49ers Enterprises and Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear were unaware of Radrizzani’s proposal to use Elland Road as security on his loan.

  Leeds have not owned their stadium since 2004. After Radrizzani completed his full takeover of the club in 2017, he bought it back and it is currently owned by Elland Road Ltd, of which the Italian is a director.

  Leeds refused to comment when approached by the PA news agency, while others fans’ groups, including Leeds United Supporters Trust, said they were seeking clarification from the club.

  National fans group, the Football Supporters Association, said on Twitter that “these are concerning times” for Leeds supporters and added it was further evidence that the Premier League “needed independent regulation”.