Descriptions Of Scottish Grounds, 1968

[Jaggernaut]

Somehow I don't think the writer was a big fan of Firhill.

 

Broomfield, Shawfield, Brockville, Muirton, Love St..... all gone as football grounds, with Pittordie maybe next.

 

No doubt like many others on here, I'd been to all of the grounds in the article.

 

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Shawfield Stadium- capacity 35,000! Surely that cannot be correct? Not in 1968 anyway.

[Jaggernaut]

A snippet: East Stirlingshire's biggest ever crowd at Firs Park (12,000) was in the Scottish Cup against Thistle in 1921.

[Third Lanark]

You don't have a copy of the 1967 one just to see what they said about Third Lanark's Cathkin park?

[Jaggernaut]

You don't have a copy of the 1967 one just to see what they said about Third Lanark's Cathkin park?

 

Unfortunately I don't know if it was a year-by-year item (I actually doubt it). It was a pal who sent it.

 

Yes, it would have been good to see the opinion of Cathkin, which I always liked.

 

Another snippet: Thistle played in the last ever league match at "Cathkin" Park, in a 1-1 draw vs. Queens Park (who were awaiting completion of Hampden).

 

ETA: The above QP vs PT match of course refers to the original Cathkin Park (then called Hampden), not the one that is fondly remembered today.

 

Confused? Me too!

Edited December 6, 2016 by Jaggernaut

[Charlie Endell]

"Toilet and refreshment set-up fair" - the toilets were so bad people just used to pish behind the Shed in the pre-JHS days - although there was an element of laziness in that well.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Charlie Endell

[sandy]

Great find Jaggernaut. Just reading the Gayfield Park description reminds me of the howling wind that blows into the ground off the sea. A bracing experience in winter.

[Charlie Endell]

The cup game we won with eight men is possibly the coldest I've ever been at a game - marvellous wee ground - give me Gayfield over some identikit Lego effort every time.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

marvellous wee ground - give me Gayfield over some identikit Lego effort every time.

 

Agree entirely, especially if Henoc Mukendi isn't playing.

 

Was going to say Gayfield is the only ground I've ever got wet in when it wasn't raining or snowing. That was from a refreshing salt water spray. I had of course forgotten about those improvised urinals mainly attributed but not wholly restricted to the Hampden terracing.

[Jaggernaut]

"Toilet and refreshment set-up fair" - the toilets were so bad people just used to pish behind the Shed in the pre-JHS days - although there was an element of laziness in this as well.

 

Haha. When you walked up towards the back of the shed at half time you could see clouds of steam through yon opening that led out to the back.

[sick in the basin]

Halcyon days being able to wander to either end of the ground depending on where we were shooting though to be fair still tend to move at HT in the JHS to be closest to goal we're attacking!

[ian_mac]

Don't see how Firhill could ever have held 48,000.

[Albert's Ghost]

From wiki - "The record attendance for a Partick Thistle game at Firhill was set against Rangers in 1922, when 49,838 people attended."

[Weebaw1]

I know we usually got pumped at Broomfield but it was a great ground, particularly when busy.

 

They always did well in the Anglo Scottish and remember going to the game vs Man City! I think Airdrie won. How times have changed and not for the better. Anyway the place was rockin.

 

I feel sorry for young fans who will never get to experience this kind of atmosphere.

 

Old Firhill was of course just as good esp vs old Rangers 1971(Johnny Gibson game). Don't know figure but attendance was huge.

[jaggy]

Don't see how Firhill could ever have held 48,000.

I think our ground record is 53,000 for an international match. Scary stuff.

 

I'm sure a few games against the OF that I attended in the 70's had well over 30,000 and it was jam packed

[Charlie Endell]

I know we usually got pumped at Broomfield but it was a great ground, particularly when busy.

 

They always did well in the Anglo Scottish and remember going to the game vs Man City! I think Airdrie won. How times have changed and not for the better. Anyway the place was rockin.

 

I feel sorry for young fans who will never get to experience this kind of atmosphere.

 

Old Firhill was of course just as good esp vs old Rangers 1971(Johnny Gibson game). Don't know figure but attendance was huge.

I don't think I ever saw Thistle win at Broomfield but you're right, it was another great ground - always a great atmosphere.

[Blackpool Jags]

I know we usually got pumped at Broomfield but it was a great ground, particularly when busy.

 

They always did well in the Anglo Scottish and remember going to the game vs Man City! I think Airdrie won. How times have changed and not for the better. Anyway the place was rockin.

 

I feel sorry for young fans who will never get to experience this kind of atmosphere.

 

Old Firhill was of course just as good esp vs old Rangers 1971(Johnny Gibson game). Don't know figure but attendance was huge.

 

Purely from memory (!!) the crowd that day was 26,000. The majority of them weren't particularly charitable towards Thistle fans during, and particularly after, the game. In fact, I'd go as far as to say some of those wearing blue and white scarves were downright rude towards us.

[Blackpool Jags]

"Toilet and refreshment set-up fair" - the toilets were so bad people just used to pish behind the Shed in the pre-JHS days - although there was an element of laziness in that well.

 

A brief history of pishing in the shed at Firhill:

 

Again from memory, most fans pished into empty cans and ginger bottles through a combination of laziness and being very keen not to miss any action, of which there seemed more in those days. I do think some anecdotes of fans pishing straight onto the person in front are a wee bit exaggerated: most fans were considerate and would look for an empty receptacle to pish into as a first resort. Nothing worse, though, than crouching down to pick up a can which you thought was empty only to find out that it was already packed with somebody else's pish and then immediately being knocked forward down the shed following a burst of onfield action and falling on the can, and getting covered with the contents. Grrrr.

 

Only ourselves to blame in that respect, and when all else failed, there was a bog of sorts to use, although it was usually packed so you'd just pish onto the back of the pie stall. By and large, nobody had any lasting complaints about Thistle's toileting facilities.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Blackpool Jags

[sick in the basin]

I know we usually got pumped at Broomfield but it was a great ground, particularly when busy.

 

They always did well in the Anglo Scottish and remember going to the game vs Man City! I think Airdrie won. How times have changed and not for the better. Anyway the place was rockin.

 

I feel sorry for young fans who will never get to experience this kind of atmosphere.

 

Old Firhill was of course just as good esp vs old Rangers 1971(Johnny Gibson game). Don't know figure but attendance was huge.

 

Remember a game at Broomfield in the fog where Chico scored a penalty .....only we didn't know that until we could make out some arms aloft figure the closer he got to the shed !

[jaggy]

I know we usually got pumped at Broomfield but it was a great ground, particularly when busy.

 

They always did well in the Anglo Scottish and remember going to the game vs Man City! I think Airdrie won. How times have changed and not for the better. Anyway the place was rockin.

 

I feel sorry for young fans who will never get to experience this kind of atmosphere.

 

Old Firhill was of course just as good esp vs old Rangers 1971(Johnny Gibson game). Don't know figure but attendance was huge.

I remember a couple of victories there. The one that sticks in my mind most was a 4-2 win close to Xmas in the 75/76 Div 1 winning season

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Nothing worse, though, than crouching down to pick up a can which you thought was empty only to find out that it was already packed with somebody else's pish

 

On marketing terms at least you have to give Scottish Brewers credit for the introduction of McEwan's Lager, even if it did cause considerable confusion.

Edited December 7, 2016 by lady-isobel-barnett

[Jimmy McD]

having only being going to firhill for 55 years the only toilets i can remember was open air behind the shed .the steam....ahhhhh

[Jaggernaut]

From memory, there were toilets just on the other side of the turnstiles at the city end, before you climbed the stairs or the hill to get to the terracing. There was also one at the top of the terracing at the north end, beside the pie stall. The pie stall disappeared, but the toilet remained until the end, I think. Needless to say, these facilities were little more than troughs leading to a drain.

[Jag]

Remarkable that we had the 4th highest capacity out of all those clubs listed. I would imagine Hampden would be the only other ground to come in above Firhill?

[Weebaw1]

The toilets at the turnstiles were the 1st port of call after the pub. Yes, it was open air. They never needed to clean them because of the rain.

 

Whats wrong with that? Satisfactory!