I’ve been to a few grounds so far as part of the ‘Day at the Football’ series, and what really strikes me is the way the architectural landscape of football has changed over the last 20 years. When I visited Dens Park a few weeks back, the clash between old and new was clear. There was the heritage of the South Stand, and the identical, ‘post-modern’ stands at either end of the pitch.
I was at Firhill on Monday night for the Partick versus Hibs Scottish Premiership fixture. The stadium is similarly asymmetrical. The Main Stand is the oldest of the three, running along the western side of the pitch. Opposite this lies the Jackie Husband Stand, named after the Thistle legend that spent 52 years at the club as a player, captain, coach, physio and kit man. The south terrace is now a grassy bank and serves as a massive advertisement for a local scaffolding company.
The North Stand sits behind the other goal and in front of a high-rise block of student accommodation. The North Stand is also known by regulars to Firhill as ‘The Shed’ – Thistle’s singing section. Re-introduced at the beginning of last season, it’s the source of much of the atmosphere generated at Thistle home matches. They sing constantly throughout the match, with the older members towards the back of the stand and the younger ones towards the front portraying a sense of hierarchy. What you realise from travelling the country and visiting different grounds is that it is not the stands that matter; it’s the people inside them.
I spoke to Callum, a 2nd year Media student, and a regular fixture in 'The Shed’. I asked him about the dynamic of the North Stand...
“The guys that go are mostly in their twenties and thirties, but there are teenagers too. It makes for a cracking atmosphere and keeps them away from the people who'd like to just sit and watch the game.”
It is important to note that, although it can be boisterous, trouble is non-existent...
“There are occasionally those who think that they are in some sort of ‘firm’ and act up but they are a minority”... “Thistle fans are proving it is possible to stand up, sing your heart out and be well behaved. Credit to the club for allowing that."
While ‘The Shed’ may be the singing section, the club offers an alternative for the younger generation of Jags fans. Since the beginning of last season, Thistle have had a policy of free entry for Under 16s. Not only has it been extremely successful – there is a healthy number of youngsters in the Jackie Husband Stand – but it also pleasing to see the policy continued following the club’s promotion to the Scottish Premiership. It perhaps would have been understandable (albeit disappointing) if Thistle decided to abandon the scheme upon their promotion. The fact that they have continued the policy, meaning that younger generations can take in top-flight football for free, is brilliant.
Away fans are accommodated in the Main Stand. As a result, this is an unusual place to locate the corporate seats and Director’s Box. Another strange feature is that the dugouts – with their racing-car seats, as is the fashion – find themselves directly below the away support. Indeed, when Liam Craig scored the only goal of the game with a sweet volley past Scott Fox, the Main Stand was thunderous. On the opening evening of the season, the raucous reception expected for Jackie McNamara’s return was in a way diluted by Firhill’s layout.
McNamara, incidentally, was at Firhill on Monday night as part of the BT Sport punditry team, along with Motherwell manager Stuart McCall. Despite the differing opinions about kick-off times and the role of television in modern football, the night-time kick-off added an extra edge to the atmosphere. Football under floodlights and lashing rain feels more authentic, the experience of going to the football in Scotland not being completely realised if you are not soaked to the skin or unable to feel your toes.
Those are all prices to pay if your team wins, of course. Dreich weather is the compromise for three points. But when you lose, the elements compound your misery. For Thistle at Firhill this season, wins have proved hard to come by. In their five Premiership home matches, they’ve drawn three and lost two, with their only two goals coming from Aaron Muirhead penalties. The statistics are misleading though; Thistle are playing the same lovely, flowing football which won them the First Division (now Championship) trophy. The two wing-backs, Aaron Taylor-Sinclair and Stephen O’Donnell gallop down the flanks at any opportunity, while Stuart Bannigan and Sean Welsh orchestrate the tempo of the match from midfield.
Whilst goals have not been forthcoming yet, one feels that they will soon. When they do, it certainly will be Firhill for thrills. A trip to Firhill is definitely a positive experience, though, and one which caters for all. For travelling supporters, Firhill is a classic ‘away day’, the Main Stand offering good acoustics for belting out your songs whilst also providing the feeling that you’re in a ‘proper’ football ground. The North Stand offers a similar experience for Jags fans, while the Jackie Husband Stand allows a perfect introduction to Scottish football for the next generation of fans with free entry for top-flight football.
David Childs
Watch the match highlights here - http://youtu.be/PG_5mZNDp8c
Have you ever been to Firhill? Have a flick through our matchday photo album by CLICKING HERE
Thanks to Fraser McFadzean for the fantastic photography of the match. To view more of Fraser's pics click here - http://frasermcfadzean.tumblr.com/
Have you ever been to Firhill? Have a flick through our matchday photo album by CLICKING HERE
Thanks to Fraser McFadzean for the fantastic photography of the match. To view more of Fraser's pics click here - http://frasermcfadzean.tumblr.com/
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