Sivad

Tomi Adeloye, the striker Doolan wasn't allowed to sign, scores for Morton against Hamilton. As it stands, that goal puts Morton up to fifth place, five points behind Thistle with two games in hand.

Roberts on the bench for Watford in their FA Cup tie at Fulham tonight. They lost 4-1, time to give the reserve goalie a chance.

I was wondering when was the last time Thistle were absent from the draw when the big teams came in, because I couldn't remember it. Not surprising, since I was only 5! Worse teams than the present one have scraped through. I feared for Tommy Bryce's team in 1998 when they had to go to Arbroath, two weeks after losing a league match there 1-0. Fan pressure led to Kenny Arthur being restored in goal after that game, and he played a big part in Thistle's 2-1 victory, despite the team finishing the match with only eight players.

Mine arrived today, with a bit of help from the postman. Name and street were correct on the label, but the postman had to choose between a range of house numbers, 229-259! Presumably a bit of local knowledge helped him find the right number, in the middle of the range. Hope postmen elsewhere are equally efficient.

Yes, I feared for Galloway's only team with League status when they finished bottom, considering what had happened to other long established league teams in recent years. It would have been good to see Scotland's largest town represented in the top leagues, but my sympathies were with Stranraer today, on the grounds that they might not have been in League 2 had it not been for the disgraceful decision to relegate clubs who found themselves at the bottom of leagues when Covid caused the season to be curtailed four years ago. No need to remind everyone of the other teams involved.

Spare a thought for fellow Covid scandal victims Stranraer, who finished bottom of League 2 today. Thistle and Hearts were able to regain their former status in the season following the disgraceful decision to end the season early four years ago. Not so Stranraer, whose relegation to League 2 meant they were likely to be at risk of losing their league status. Clyde looked like finishing bottom for much of the season, but they were able to find the money to employ Ian McCall, who knows a thing or two about Covid victims, and to make some important signings in January. Not an option for Stranraer, who now face a play-off against East Kilbride, fresh from avoiding a bruising play-off with Highland League champions Buckie Thistle, as a result of another controversial decision.

Will VAR be in operation?

Longest journey for a Scottish Cup tie was 360 miles each way from Wick to Kirkcudbright, St Cuthbert Wanderers v Wick Academy, 27 September 2008.

Watching the Wimbledon final on Sunday, Mrs Sivad exclaimed "There's the King of Spain". I thought, that's not Gerry Britton! Good luck to Gerry. Few people have been associated with Partick Thistle for such a long time.

First up is Arbroath v Dundee United on Friday 4 August. Optimists will want a home win, pessimists an away win. I'll settle for a draw.

Professor Gordon McInnes had a distinguished medical career, which is documented elsewhere. He was a leading authority on hypertension, possibly inspired by being a lifelong follower of Partick Thistle. At 6 foot six inches, "Big Gordon" was a larger than life character, who did not suffer fools gladly, unless they were wearing red and yellow. He was never slow to voice his opinions on players, and, particularly, officials. He was present at the unforgettable League Cup triumph in 1971, when we were thrown out of the Aragon for celebrating too noisily. Exactly a year earlier, Gordon drove a carload of Jags fans all the way to Brechin for a Second Division match. In front of a crowd of 668, young Alan Rough lost his footing on the slope at one end of the pitch, and a shot that would have sailed over the bar on a level surface found the top corner for the only goal of the game. Experiencing such highs and lows enabled Gordon to develop a healthily sceptical view of the team's performances, and in later years he could claim to have "seen it all". Gordon died a few days before the Dingwall disaster, but it is safe to say that he would not have been surprised at the outcome.

It's perhaps worth remembering that those who may be signing elsewhere are no longer Partick Thistle players. They are free agents, a consequence of the club not having the resources to offer them contract extensions that they might have found attractive.

Things are never that bad that they can't get worse. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-65810610. It wasn't any old bus, it was the East Kilbride Partick Thistle supporters bus, on which I travelled to Dingwall. After dropping some fans in Maryhill, the bus was on its way to the motorway when a man suddenly appeared in front of it. The driver swerved and braked, but could not avoid hitting him, fatally. Police interviews followed, so it was three o'clock by the time I got home. So what had been a football tragedy became a real one. Somehow the result of a football match seems less important now.

Apologies. Going by my recollection of the TV commentary, and my own failing eyesight.

One hat trick for Graham, last season at Inverness.