It’s game number seven on the 42 tour and up until now I (Simon) had never set foot in any of the grounds we have been to thus far but I have been to Firhill Stadium to see Partick Thistle a few times in the past.

In attendance for today’s match was myself, Ross, Ian with a few others floating in and out.  Ross has also been to Thistle’s ground before but Ian was a virgin and it was his first time at Firhill.

I had been to the old ground with the terracing at 3 ends in the 1990’s, to then watching from the renamed Jackie Husband stand a few years ago as my nephew was the mascot for the day and have also had the luxury of the clubs hospitality when I tagged along with my brother Stephen who worked for the sponsors at the time.

This was the second time this season we have seen Thistle, the first being our initial game of the season when we went to Somerset Park to watch Ayr United.  This was also the first home game for the 42 crew, in respect that we all come from Glasgow, after much travelling in previous encounters.

The game today was decided upon the week before the game, having initially pencilled in Hampden Park to see Queens Park but the relegation dogfight in the Scottish championship between Partick Thistle and Alloa was the tastier game and the venue was switched at the last minute by Captain Indecisive aka Ross.

How much?

As this was a local game for us costs were lower  for travelling.  You can get a train from Glasgow Queen Street to Maryhll station, or if you fancy a couple of pints in Partick then trains are frequent from the city centre stations to Partick, which is only two stops away from the City centre.

The price for our seats in the Jackie Husband stand was £20 each. Pretty much on par with other championship games we have been to.

A bit about the team

The club have been kicking around since 1876 and although they began life in the Partick area of Glasgow, the club moved to Firhill in the Maryhill area of Glasgow in the early 1900’s.

Partick Thistle are nicknamed the Jags, and although I didn’t research this bit, it’s probably  because of the Thistle that has been ever present on the club shirts.

The club have won the Scottish Cup (1920-21) beating city rivals Rangers and the Scottish League cup (1971-72) trouncing their east end neighbours Celtic 4-1, quite a feat as at the time Celtic were one of the best clubs in Europe.

Thistle have also won the Scottish second tier (now the Scottish Championship) 6 times, the Scottish third tier (now league 1) once, the Scottish Challenge cup in 2013 and the Tennent’s Sixes in 1993.

The club have yoyoed between the top flight, Championship and League One for much of the last 25 years and currently reside in the Scottish Championship.

The club changed mascot in 2015 and gained quite a bit of exposure around the globe due to the mascots bizarre appearance.  The mascot, named Kingsley, comes complete with monobrow, looks demented and constantly angry, noting that it is supposed to be for the entertainment of kids!

A bit about the stadium

In 1922, 50,000 folk squeezed into Firhill for a game v Rangers but nowadays the grounds capacity is just over 10,000. The stadium is all seated with 3 sides.  The west side, which used to house a terracing, was never redeveloped when the ground was restructured to enable the club to compete in the top league of Scotland.

The main stand is the Jackie Husband stand named after the former Thistle player and manager.  This is the section in which we took our seats at the game with a crowd of 3578 in attendance on the day for what was a crucial game for Thistle.

The Game

This was a must win game for Thistle who at the start of the day found themselves looking up at every team in the league from the bottom of the table.  With 4 games to go they needed a win to have a fighting chance to avoid relegation. In opposition was Alloa who were not sitting pretty either at the wrong end of the table.

The game started poorly for Thistle as Alloa took the lead after 13 mins. Thistle looked well placed for their league position in an uninspiring first half performance as Alloa took the lead in to half time

The Pie

A bit disappointing from Thistle, the pie couldn’t keep its consistency and the pastry broke up easily due to a soggy bottom, resulting in molten gravy spilling on to my hands. A bit more technical in the pie review this time, probably due to the fact I wasn’t wrecked by this point;  4/10

The rest of the game 

The second half started well with Thistle getting the equaliser straight away. A free kick outside the box on the 66^th minute by former Motherwell and Celtic player Scott MacDonald floated in the top corner was a goal to win any game.  A vital 3 points for the Jags in their relegation battle. Final score was Partick Thistle 2-1 Alloa.

The day out (before the game)

The sun was out and pubs with beer gardens were our priority.  We started at the top of Byers Road in Partick at an old converted church called the Oran Mor but it was only a meeting place as we looked to head to Maryhill for a few local beers.

Into Francos on Queen Margaret Drive in Kelvinside, which had a good beer garden to the rear. Ross was the local tour guide on this one and advised us that it is famous for the scene from Trainspotting when Francis Begbie on the upper floor spoke the immortal line, “and after that, the game was mine” before throwing a pint glass over his head and down into the crowded pub.

 

 

My brother Stephen joined up with us for a few pints.  After a couple we moved up to Maryhill and into the Botany, which also has a good beer garden.

We then headed towards the stadium for the game and popped into the busy Munn Pub. The Munn located just down the road from Firhill, was full of Thistle supporters and was the last stop for a pint before the game. The Thistle fans started to disperse to head to the game and we seen a chink of light in the dark pub, which turned out to be a beer garden to the rear.  We went out with our pints and were met with 6 or 7 locals who had brought their own sound system and we were immediately asked in the thick Glasgow accent if we were Alloa fans, to which we responded in our best “we’re no shittin it” accents “Nah” and sat down uncomfortably.  We couldn’t get our pints finished quick enough to leave.  I think one of the angry, demented looking locals was the inspiration for Kingsley, the Thistle mascot.

The day out (after the game)

The substitution board went up and Rab Mack came on for Stephen who headed homeward. We met Rab back at the Botany Pub and started a pub crawl along Maryhill Road, missing out the Munn this time.

We ventured along to the Woodside Inn, which was busy with post match Thistle fans before heading back down Maryhill Road towards Glasgow

Staying on Maryhill Road, we took a wonder into the Royalty Bar, which should be noted was definitely not full of Partick Thistle fans.  Lets just say it’s a pub Thistle fans wouldn’t go in and Celtic fans shouldn’t go into.  Ian knew quite a few of the characters in the Royalty, probably something to do with that club he’s in with the folk that like to go for angry walks around Glasgow.

We left the Royalty Bar and Rab chapped on a door across the road and out the door appeared an old woman, who to our relief was a relative of Rabs.  Our nervousness stems from Rab having previous for chapping old peoples doors, kidding on he’s the gas man and leaving with a 4 figure sum.

Afterwards we headed down onto Great Western Road to the Hug and Pint which was a lively pub as far as I remember but by this time I was starting to wobble. In to Winter Gills bar were Ian bumped into another old friend with a handshake that did not appear to be the standard greeting!  We popped into Munroe’s for a few before heading into the Woodlands area of Glasgow.  Ian went missing at this point and was last seen walking down the Queens Highway with a group of guys dressed in bowler hats, heading in the direction of the past.

 

 

The last stop was the Arlington Bar on Woodlands Road. I did my usual by falling asleep but my slumber was rudely awakened by a lively “debate” which was going on around me with Ross and a few locals.  I gave my “tuppence worth” but the whole situation was quickly “defused” by Ross.  Rab, who questioned the point of the “debate”, decided it was time to head up the road.

With a 2^nd wind me and Ross headed up to Glasgow city centre to do a bit more drinking and still not satisfied with  the humongous consumption of booze, we headed to the casino, where I was politely asked to leave by 7 lofty bouncers who were unimpressed by my famous “sleep standing” routine.

I quietly left and headed to get the night bus as dawn broke.

Tip for next time – go home before the trains stop.

Until the next game,

The 42