42

Firhill Stadium

Saturday 28^th February 2026

Yet again there has been another long gap since I’ve managed to get to a new ground. Life has got in the way a lot since I saw Hearts scrape past Dundee at Den’s Park seven weeks ago. The only game that I did get to in that time was a return trip to Gayfield to enjoy a smokie pie on my 40th birthday. The pie was the definite highlight of the night as the football was slightly affected by the 45mph winds that meant goalkicks were travelling roughly 20 yards (and usually going straight out for a throw-in). I had persuaded Naomi to join me and I think she enjoyed herself but more despite the game rather than because of it.

The other main reason for the absence of games recently was our long planned trip to Italy for the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. Between the preparation for the trip and the time away this had taken care of about four weekends and forced me to put my travels around Scotland on the back burner for a while. Not that I’m complaining about this at all, the atmosphere in Livigno for the snowboard big air probably slightly edged that at Galabank when Annan Atheltic hosted Dumbarton just 24 hours later. I have missed this nonsense though and I was looking forward to another trip this weekend.

For my long awaited return I decided to tick off another ground while also getting to see Arbroath again by heading down to Glasgow to see them take on Partick Thistle at Firhill. I had hoped to be able to take advantage of a fantastic sale at the start of the year that allowed return travel on any Scotrail train for just £20. Unfortunately there was work on the line planned for this weekend that meant the only route would require a change in Edinburgh and meant the normally 2h30 journey would be more like 4h30. A lonely day trip in the car awaited me instead.

The game itself promised to a potentially nervy but very important game for both sides. WIth Partick in second and Arbroath immediately below them in the table both teams have a lot to play for. League leaders St Johnstone had dropped points at Queen’s Park in midweek meaning that Partick would be keen to close the gap and look to challenge for automatic promotion themselves. Arbroath meanwhile would be looking to maintain or extend their gap back to the teams in fourth and fifth and try to secure an unlikely spot in the playoff positions.

The drive south started without issues but as I neared Dundee the satnav started repeatedly recalculating the route as traffic got snarled up in roadworks and an accident closed the A9 near Stirling for a period. Instead of a fairly mundane journey through Dundee, Perth, and on to Glasgow I ended up winding my way through country roads in Angus, Perthshire, Fife before I was welcomed to Clackmannanshire with a sign bearing their motto, ‘More Than You Imagine’. After making my through a series of contraflows and being escorted by convoy vehicles I can only assume their motto relates to roadworks in the area.

I always forget how awful driving into, and through, Glasgow actually is and today was no exception. A long tailback to allow drivers to gawp at an accident on the opposite carriageway was eventually cleared and I finally started to make some progress. I had planned ahead and decided to park a short walk away from Firhill on the other side of an area called the Claypits which had looked like it might be quite nice on Google Maps.

The area that I left the car looked a little sketchy but the Claypits were lovely and didn’t feel at all like they were in the middle of a city. I picked a route that brought me to the canal opposite Firhill allowing me to take the photo of the ground at the start of this entry. A short walk back along the canal took me to a bridge and from there Firhill was only five minutes away. The club shop let me down on the pin badge front so I made my way round the back of the ground to the Jackie Husband stand and headed inside to get some lunch and find a seat.

As is the case at many grounds Partick Thistle managed to find the least attractive corner of the ground to house the away fans. It’s completely understandable that they want to favour the home support (unless the lure of big takings at the gates necessitate a change) but it is slightly disappointing to be tucked away in a tiny strip of seats in one corner of the ground when the entire stand opposite sits completely empty.

Whilst it was a cold day it was clear and very bright, the first time this year that I felt as though spring was just around the corner. It did remind me of the need to wear a cap to games now that there is a slightly increased chance of the sun being present. The entire crowd in the Jackie Husband stand spent the game shielding their eyes from the unexpected sunshine.

Arbroath got the game underway in their usual fashion by kicking for the corner in the way that seems to have crept in to football from rugby. It was Partick who settled into the game quicker although neither team seemed to have a clear gameplan. Both were quick to clear the ball on the odd occasion when the ball reached their defence, struggled in midfield, and snatched at the half-chances that fell their way. Partick’s best chance early on fell to Tony Watt on the edge of the box but his volley went out for a throw-in. In the same fashion Arbroath’s only shot on goal came from Harry Cochrane but it’s debatable whether it would have reached the goal line if Partick keeper, Josh Clarke, hadn’t easily collected the ball.

The only real chance again fell to Watt who cut inside Arbroath captain, Tam O’Brien, but his shot was straight at Aidan McAdams. The two consistent factors of the first half were the Partick Ultras who were numerous and loud but who only had one song, a version of Hey Baby (how very topical…) aimed at finding out whether Alex Samuel would score (spoiler alert: nope), and an inability for the Partick players to stay on their feet, often in elaborate and dramatic ways. Unfortunately the referee seemed to be buying the nonsense from the Partick players who repeatedly used this to their advantage.

It took almost 15 minutes of the second half for Arbroath to string more than five passes together. Aidan Nesbitt and Craig Watson linked up well down the right hand side to win a corner. This was cleared by Partick but Arbroath won the second ball and after a couple of passes it found it’s way to Harry Cochrane before Dan O’Reilly went through him with his studs up and was given his marching orders.

Jack Wilkie put the resulting free kick over the bar but any expectation that Arbroath would make use of their extra man to put Partick under additional pressure was quickly dispelled. The red card seemed to to act as a spark to Partick who looked the stronger team almost immediately and were the far more likely team to score.

The one moment that was an exception to this was when Scott Stewart beat two Partick players as he broke into the box and pulled the ball back to Finlay Marshall. A great save from Clarke was the only thing that prevented Arbroath from taking an undeserved lead.

With the game heading towards injury time some sloppy Arbroath defending saw the ball break for Partick and despite looking comfortably offside Samuel tried to collect the ball on the edge of the box. Some minimal contact with O’Brien resulted in another dramatic fall to the ground which was enough to convince the referee to reach for his red card for a second time. Oisin Smyth saw his free kick cannon off the bar before it was scrambled away by the Arbroath defence. It was full-on, backs to the wall defending now but there was still time for Smyth to hit the bar for a second time before the referee eventually brought the game to an end.

So, that’s it, this project finally has it’s first 0 – 0 after 14 games. There are some enjoyable 0 – 0 games, there are some exciting 0 – 0 games, there are plenty of tense 0 – 0 games. This was none of those things, this was a game that felt like a 0 – 0 after about five minutes, and never really seemed like anything else. It was also in the middle of five hours of driving but probably needs to be looked at as a good point for Arbroath. With St Johnstone winning at home to Ayr and extending their lead at the top of the table Partick will be the more disappointed of the teams but it was probably a fair result, and a fair reflection of the game.

The Facts

• Ground
  • Firhill Stadium
• Home
  • Partick Thistle
• Away
  • Arbroath
• Competition
  • Scottish Championship
• Result
  • 0 – 0
• Scorers
  • N/A
• Attendance
  • 3,693
• Cost
  • £24
• Total distance travelled
  • 294 miles
• Transport
  • Car
• My MotM
  • Josh Clarke, in a fairly miserable game very few players stood out for either side so I’ve opted for Clarke as without his save from Marshall Arbroath might have stolen this game.