Partick Thistle confirm Mark Wilson as club's new head coach

Mark Wilson has been confirmed as the new head coach at Partick Thistle.

The former Dundee United and Celtic defender was part of an interim joint-management team with Brian Graham at the Championship club at the end of last season.

He had been in charge of the under-18s at Firhill since 2023 before being promoted to the first team in February after Kris Doolan left the role.

Wilson and Graham led the Jags to a six-game unbeaten run and eventually a play-off place before losing to Ayr United.

Thistle announced on Friday that the 40-year-old would take charge of the side into next season.

Wilson said: “I am really pleased to be the Head Coach at Partick Thistle and I cannot wait to get started. It is going to be a busy summer but one I am looking forward to.”

Chairman Richard Beastall said: “We fully appreciate that supporters will feel frustrated that it has taken us longer than we anticipated to make this announcement, particularly as there has been a great deal of speculation throughout the course of this week.

“However, it is important that a thorough recruitment and interview process was carried out, and that public announcements are not made until contracts have been negotiated and paperwork signed.

“As part of our process, we considered candidates with various levels of experience in management. However, the role of Head Coach is different to that of Manager – a Head Coach will lead training, set the tactics, be responsible for squad development and play a part in the player recruitment decision-making process.

“They won’t be directly involved in contract negotiation which will be led by our Sporting Director, Ian Baraclough.

“We held both preliminary conversations and formal interviews with a number of candidates and we believe Mark is the best fit for Partick Thistle. His knowledge and commitment to promoting our own talent shone through, as did the leadership he showed on the training pitch, in the dressing room and during matches as we enjoyed a memorable end to the season.

“It was always clear to us throughout the process that Mark was an integral part of our future aspirations.

“We would now ask all Thistle fans to get behind Mark and the squad as we focus on Season 2025/26.”