a f kincaid

I was walking towards the exit and was right behind the nets when this happened. The Dundee defence to a man started to walk out of the 18-yard box, resigned to the fact that it was a penalty.

He took over in goals with 10 mins to go when Niven was injured in a 3-2 win v St Johnstone in Perth, 21 March 1964. In the days when the number on your shirt actually meant where you were playing, his appearances were:- 4....74 5....8 6....27 7....8 8....139 9....2 10....100 11....230 s....5

Time to blow the dust and cobwebs off an old post. # Davie McParland played in 593 games for the club (his only senior club) scoring 111 goals in the process. # He holds the record for most appearances for an outfield player and is 2nd only to Alan Rough. # Between November 1961 and Christmas Day 1965 he played in 206 consecutive competitive matches (missing only 2 friendlies in that spell). # Most importantly of all he brought us the first major trophy for 50 years. The North stand has no name. Surely he is a worthy candidate?

Correct and well remembered MKJ. 2 March 1963. A flashing og header (30) and a penalty rebounded off the keeper (60) in a 1-1 draw. Niven, Hogan, Brown, McParland, Harvey, Cunningham, Cowan, Hainey, Whitelaw, Duffy, Fleming.

Any team that takes only 3 points out of the first 27 - scoring only 3 goals in the process - and comes within a whisker of the top 6 deserves some credit - especially one with limited cash and player resources. That doesn't of course explain or excuse yesterday's (or last week's) defeats. A team that patently cannot score goals has to rely on tight defending and in the main that has been the case. 9 wins and 10 defeats this season have been by a 1-goal margin but when the defence leaks like a sieve there is only one outcome likely on the day. 45 goals in 35 matches (4th best= goals conceded) is creditable. We've only conceded 5 more than the team that will finish 2nd. 34 goals scored in 35 is the lowest goals scored= with the team that's almost certain to be relegated. Doesn't take long to work out where the problem lies. A succession of dud, last minute transfer window signings over the last few seasons must demoralise young players trying to make a breakthrough. We can all dream but when clubs with similar or even lower average attendances can out-bid us/tempt away our players, then struggling at the bottom half of the league is likely to be all we can reasonably expect. I don't blame players in any way for wanting to better themselves. The taunting of Fox at Dingwall a few weeks ago was embarrassing - and, incidentally, seems to have no effect on him whatsoever. Can't see us ever breaking through the "grass ceiling" unless the board is prepared to go that extra mile and invest in better forwards and attacking mid-fielders that will get up in support. Saying that the club will always be prudent is laudable but it has its inevitable consequences.

Since joining the SFL, 986 of Thistle's 4024 league games have seen the team fail to score (25%). In numerical terms the worst season (league games only) is our cup-winning season 1920/21 with 17 blanks - and that excludes a further 5 blanks on the way to lifting the cup and 1 each in the Glasgow Cup and the Charity Cup making 24 in 55 games in total (44%). In percentage terms against the number of games played, the outright winner is season 1897/98 with 12 blanks out of just 18 games played (67%.) 1995/96 with 16 out of 36 games (44%) is next worst. This is followed by 2007/08 (15/36, 42%), 1920/21 17/42 (40%), and 2015/16 with 14/35 so far (40%).

I think Mr Doomcaster thinks he's still in charge of the SPL and welcoming a club from the ranks of the diddy leagues to the "big" (his) league. Has no-one told him the SPFL was created to represent all 42 senior clubs? There's no need to "welcome" any club that's the subject of the normal ebb and flow of promotion. Did he welcome Dunfermline to the Premiership? Now, where's that fan survey thingy I wasn't going to fill in....

We have identified 706 penalty kicks taken by Thistle, of which 506 have been converted. 172 known individuals have been identified as the takers and the figures suggest some players took to penalty taking much more readily than others. The top 9 "converters" achieved 145 goals between them - 29% of the total but they represent only 5% of the takers. In contrast there are 27 players who missed their only penalty. Perhaps they were never asked again.

My friendly heating engineer has just been. Season ticket holder at Tynecastle. He told me Thistle were unlucky not to have won. Hearts were, according to him, honking. He reckons the influence of Levein is the reason why Hearts are happy to hold on to a lead and out-muscle the opposition. Despite that, he couldn't understand why anyone would want Neilson out given where the club have been in the last few years.

Yes and yes. Blom's the name. Played twice and scored once v Arbroath 4 March 2000.

These clips are always an insight into social history. Not a woman in sight. Almost everyone wearing a collar and tie. Sporting applause for the Irish goals. Subdued congratulations for the scorers.

Billy Ritchie

From BBC gossip column.. "Partick Thistle will almost certainly have to ask the Scottish Professional Football League for permission to have their first home matches of the 2016-17 season postponed as they seek to solve the drainage problems that have led to four matches at Firhill being postponed in the last two months. (The Times, print edition)"

Go into hiding with Jim Spence!

If this photo is taken at an actual match, and the players are correctly named, then there are 4 strong candidates - partly because the opposition was Rangers or Celtic and it was the start of the season. Johnny MacKenzie was transferred to Dumbarton in mid-August 1960 so it can't be any later. Curran played regularly for the reserves the previous season but can't find any obvious match with the players named. 13/8/60 Rangers H Reserve League Cup 3-6 is the closest match except no Wardlaw. Curran, Muir, Thomson, Brown, Staite, Cunningham, MacKenzie, Wilson, Fletcher, Hastings (?), Waugh. 16/8/60 Celtic A Reserve League Cup 0-2. No team information however. 23/8/60 Rangers H Reserve League 3-2. Cunningham (2) and Wilson scored but no other team info. 26/8/1960 Rangers A Reserve League Cup 1-9 (ouch!) is another possibility but Mackenzie played the following day against Rangers at Ibrox (his final game for the club) so, while possible, it's unlikely.

Johnny Mackenzie first left, front row? Agree Muir, Cunningham.

McInnes said in a BBC interview that they came down to Glasgow on the Thursday and trained on the Friday morning (he didn't say where). It still doesn't explain why they were so early however.

If this is indeed true (no reason to doubt you LSR) then it's final evidence (if any more were needed) that the lunatics are indeed running the asylum. 5.30!!! Incidentally, if this had been 19/2/2017 we would have already had our winter break.

Truly, the man stands forever as a giant Partick Thistle historian. :worship: TJR that is!

The forum must continue! When TJR has finished his biography of Willie Paul, he'll still have around 2,000 players to tell us about.

I knew Danny Kellachan quite well through work so I'm fairly confident that's him in the middle distance. I was my first reaction when I saw the photo. I agree there is a passing resemblance to Houston however. The Glasgow Herald report of the match gives the line-up as:- Rough, Hansen, Kellachan, Glavin, Anderson, Clark, Chalmers, Rae, Craig, Houston, Lochrie. (McQuade.)

24 appearances. 23 in 84/85 and 1 (the first match) in 85/86. No goals.

Lochrie played twice that season, against Rangers on the date mentioned and against Dundee United in April (2-1). Danny Kellachan in the picture as well.

I won't hear a word against that nice Mr Collum. Any referee who can cope with the red hot cauldron that is Tannadice during a pulsating cup-tie and still find time to tell a Thistle player to sort his sock get's my vote. The European Championships are in safe hands.

I remember being at Fir Park in the late 70s when Roger Hynd was their manager (or it might have been the early 80s/Jock Wallace). The Motherwell players stood at the tunnel and were introduced one by one as they ran on. It was a gimmick that never caught on.