Ian McCall left hometown club Queen of the South

McCall, 41, left First Division rivals Queen of the South at the end of the season after leading the Dumfries outfit clear of relegation trouble.

Thistle chairman Allan Cowan told his club website: "We were impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job.

"Having gone through that procedure, we feel that Ian McCall is the right man for the job and we look forward to working with him."

Caretaker Jimmy Bone will leave Firhill, with McCall due to announce his assistant within the next few days.

Bone had been assistant to Dick Campbell, who was sacked in March after the Glasgow club failed to challenge for promotion as season after coming up from Division Two.

Former Celtic, Dunfermline, Livingston, Motherwell and St Mirren Davie Hay had been interviewed for the vacancy.

Queen's Park head coach Billy Stark, Terry Butcher, who had come in to assist Bone, and St Johnstone assistant Sandy Stewart had also all been linked with the job.

But Stark signed a new contract after winning promotion to Division Two, Butcher took over at Brentford and Stewart decided to remain at McDiarmid Park.

Speculation has also linked former Rangers and Scotland defender Richard Gough, who had a spell as Livingston manager, with the post.

But Thistle have instead turned to early favourite McCall, who had previously managed Clydebank, Morton, Airdrie, Falkirk and Dundee United.

Cowan said his club "took a conscious decision at the outset to take our time and select the person who most closely fitted our criteria".

Thistle earlier this month said they were delaying their decision on a new manager until their financial future was more clear.