Damage in the Box!: PARTICK THISTLE (Firhill)

Hello all and welcome back for a brand new season and more inane ramblings about my footballing travels. After what seems a mightily short close season, we are off and running again as competitive football returns in all its glory and lets be honest, it will be good to watch some decent football after the steaming pile of poo that was the world cup!

This is not actually my first competitive game of the season, that was in Dublin last weekend with a visit to University College Dublin but as it fell in amongst my pre-season travels I have included it as part of my pre-season blog (click here).

So, on to today and I found myself heading north of the border yet again, this time on a train bound for Glasgow and an Alba cup derby clash between Partick Thistle and Clyde. Partick play at Firhill, which is in the salubrious area of Glasgow called Maryhill. This is actually the closest professional ground to the city centre and is just a mere 45 minute stroll from Central Station. Admittedly my walk may have been hampered by the fact that I chose to seek out some real ale serving pubs en route, so I was a wee bit tipsy as i walked up the hill to the ground! One of the GBG gems I paid a visit to today was the superb Bon Accord.

Firhill, as it stands, is a three sided ground with an old fashioned Main Stand ie woooden and lots of post, though this wasn't open today. Two modern new stands, the Jackie Husband stand, where I sat today, and the North stand, which housed the away fans. Behind the other goal there is the old demolished terrace which is so overgrown in fact its now a grass bank. There are/were plans to redevelop this into flats and/or car parking but when this will happen is anyones guess.

The game itself had enough to maintain interest, but as with most early season clashes it never exactly set the pulses racing. The Jags took the lead after 12 minutes when Liam Buchanan's mis-hit shot shot somehow found its way past John Hutchison in the Clyde goal. This was somewhat against the run of early play but to their credit the Bully Wee kept going, Marc McCusker being particularly impressive, and it was a foul on him which led to a free kick on 31 minutes which Adam Strachan blasted home.

It was a different story in the second half as Thistle took control of the game and they eventually got their winning goal after 71 minutes when Ryan McBeth fired home. A lack of poor finishing meant they only added this one goal when in reality they should have been out of sight. Clyde did come close to an equaliser in the dying moments but Partick weren't to be denied and they will now go on to face Berwick Rangers in the next round.