Mark Wilson has been confirmed as the new manager of Partick Thistle after serving as interim co-boss.
The former Celtic defender's partner towards the end of last season, Brian Graham, held talks with club chiefs but turned down the chance to carry on in his own right after having reservations.
Morton boss Dougie Imrie also had discussions but Ton released a statement confirming he would be staying with them and remained committed to the cause.
Wilson will now be the man to lead the Jags into next season and they confirmed as much this morning.
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Wilson told the Thistle website: "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 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 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 that Mark was an integral part of our future aspirations.”
