Raging SPFL club request Premier Sports Cup match be replayed as SFA apologise for substitution blunder

Partick Thistle have requested that their Premier Sports Cup match against Motherwell be replayed after claiming they were wrongly prevented from making a substitution due to a system failure.

Thistle were told they could not bring on Ricco Diack during the goalless draw because he was not on the teamlines, but it later emerged fourth official Greg Soutar had failed to spot the 19-year-old’s name on the app because his name was on the second page of the screenshot.

The new digital system for registering team sheets has been brought in as part of a wider installation of the Scottish Football Association’s online Comet system for administrative issues. Thistle confirmed they had written to the SFA as well as the Scottish Professional Football League, the competition organiser, “inviting a full explanation” of Sunday’s blunder.

Partick Thistle's Ricco Diack arrives ahead of a Premier Sports Cup group stage match against Motherwell, where he was prevented from being substituted into the match. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Thistle did not make mention of any request to replay the match in their statement, however, it has been widely reported that the Jags want the match to be replayed in the interests of sporting integrity. Partick would have progressed to the last 16 of the competition had they secured victory in 90 minutes but the match endless goalless with Thistle claiming the extra point after winning the penalty shoot-out.

The SFA has yet to comment publicly on the situation although it has been reported that head of referees Willie Collum has apologised to the Championship club.

A Partick statement read: “The introduction of the Comet system has been a testing time for clubs across the country so we could sympathise with the match officials if they had been affected by a similar issue from the change in technology in the Scottish game.

“The fourth official confirmed he had used a screenshot from the automated PDF as a reference for teamlines and also admitted that he had noted Motherwell’s ninth substitute in his notepad. We find it impossible to believe that a screenshot can contain Motherwell’s ninth substitute and not ours with both players listed on the exact same text line.

“It has become clear to us that the processes being followed by match officials for the submission of teamlines through the new system are insufficient.

“We understand that a number of the match officials refereeing our fixtures so far this season will be using the system for the first time, but there needs to be a system of accountability to ensure fairness and transparency for all clubs.

“We have written to the SPFL and Scottish FA today to request an explanation for this situation which has placed us at a sporting disadvantage and materially impacted the game by not allowing us to field an attacking player onto the field of play, a player who already has a proven track record of delivering positive attacking play and goals during their time on the pitch.”