Ben Stanway signs one-year deal to remain at Partick Thistle

Ben Stanway has signed a surprise one-year contract to stay with Partick Thistle, manager Mark Wilson said on Friday ahead of the club's home match against Livingston. The 21-year-old forward scored 12 goals last season and had been widely expected to leave Firhill over the summer.

Wilson said the player's desire to help return Partick Thistle to the Scottish Premiership was a major factor in Stanway's decision to stay. The academy graduate has been with the club since he was 11 and has made more than 100 Partick Thistle appearances; Thistle narrowly missed out on promotion last term, losing to St Mirren in the play-off final. "He wants to be part of something special here at Thistle," Wilson added. "In his tenth year, if he can get promotion, it would really be the icing on the cake for him."

Stanway attracted interest from several Premiership clubs during his standout campaign, and Wilson acknowledged he had expected the youngster to depart. The manager said the player's performances were attention-grabbing: "His performances were so eye-catching, of course there was going to be interest," and admitted: "If I'm being truthful, I was resigned to probably losing him."

Wilson described how the club maintained communication to keep a pathway open for Stanway to remain at Firhill. "But we always kept ourselves in with a chance, by keeping in constant dialogue with him – particularly [assistant manager] Alex Rae. As time progressed that window of opportunity opened a wee bit," he said.

The manager also pointed to the relationship between player and supporters as a factor in Stanway's commitment. "He's got a song about him from the fans as well; it's not often you get that," Wilson said. "He just felt an absolute connection with this club and a drive to help Partick Thistle out of this division."

Wilson highlighted Stanway's attitude as an example for the squad and expressed hope the midfielder can help the club return to the top flight for the first time since 2018. Partick Thistle begin the weekend following an opening-day 1-0 victory away to Greenock Morton and will host fellow promotion hopefuls Livingston on Friday, with the match shown live on BBC Scotland.

Supporters can watch Partick Thistle v Livingston on Sportscene on Friday, when Stanway will have the opportunity to begin his new contract period in front of the BBC Scotland cameras.