Jags Trust – Partick Thistle Supporters' Association

The Hunt for Red (& Yellow) October!

We’ve often bemoaned the fact that the only visual record we have of our glorious League Cup triumph lasts just over twenty three minutes and that no full recording of the match survives. Few, however, know the story which shows that were it not for the dogged persistence of one fan, we wouldn’t even have that and could only relive the day with the brief clips of the goals (four real ones and Dalglish’s off-side effort) which survive!

While paranoia is usually a trait attributed to those who collected runners-up medals that day, Jags’ fans eager to revisit (on an almost unhealthily regular basis) the delights of 23/10/71 were left struggling, courtesy of a string of mishaps which suggested that having witnessed the majestic victory, we were to be blighted by a Tutankhamen type curse when it came to reruns.

The match was filmed (for those of a younger vintage, it’s what came before video tape and digital recording) by BBC Scotland, Scottish Television and the Celtic Film Club.

For reasons which are not difficult to comprehend, the third of the trio discarded their footage, indeed it was suggested that it didn’t even reach the developer and went straight into the bin before they even left Hampden Park!

BBC Scotland’s recording mysteriously disappeared in the early eighties, or at least that was their response to several written and verbal approaches by the fan obsessed with getting the ultimate memento of that day of days.

So that left the STV version, well actually it didn’t since their response to an initial enquiry was that it had been destroyed in the fire which gutted the Hope Street studios.

The minor flaw in that argument could be exposed without needing the wits of Sherlock Holmes since the fire, which tragically claimed the lives of two firemen, took place in 1969, two years before the match!

Ultimately it transpired that the film, both the unedited and the 23 minute broadcast version had been lost – and apparently remains so to this day.

From the depths of the mind however was dredged the memory of a night in the old Firhill Club (now the area filled by the club offices) when Davie McParland gave a showing of the edited highlights, a version presented to him as a souvenir by STV.

Unfortunately, on a variety of levels given that he had led us to our greatest triumph of the modern era, Davie’s departure from Firhill was less than amicable and it was perhaps understandable that approaches about the recording were fruitless for a few years.

Ultimately, however, a chance meeting at a dinner in the late lamented Albany Hotel afforded another opportunity for an approach and, coming from one of the Firhill 12, the fans who followed Thistle on mind-expanding and wallet-emptying two-week pre-season trip to Sweden in 1972, Davie Mac agreed to lending his version to let it be immortalised on a more modern medium.

A visit to his pub in Milton of Campsie resulted in the reel being rescued, just in time, from a damp cellar where the acetate based film was already showing signs of deterioration.

Transferred on to video, with copies made for friends, family and Firhill, it has since been moved on to DVD, even to digital versions now and will be centre piece of tonight’s celebrations.

Arthur Montford’s epic comments are all there with much upgoing of heads, a few stramashes and – my personal favourite – with Jimmy Johnstone leaving the field “Celtic are down to twelve men!”

Judge for your-self the decision of the referee not to take any action against Jinky when he savagely raked his shin down Ronnie Glavin’s studs!

It might not be the full magnum opus, but at least the key moments are there to be savoured by those lucky enough to have been present on the day and by those who will, for decades to come, be bored rigid by tales which grow in the telling but which never need to exaggerate either final score or the magnitude of Thistle’s finest hour in living memory.

1971 – What a Sensation

Hope you got a ticket for the hottest show in town?

Tickets available from Firhill £15 (still on sale at the time of going to print)

For all things Red & Yellow, be there to celebrate one of Thistle’s greatest victories, tonight – 22 October 2011 – at Hampden Park.

Supporters Direct, Scotland

SD has been provided with a funding package sufficient to take them through to March 2012.

In the next six months SDS aims to build on the work completed thus far with 30 supporter’s trust and to develop a Scottish Football Supporters Network to promote effective and productive dialogue between football fans, Government, football authorities, clubs, communities and other public authorities.

The Scottish Government has taken a greater interest in supporter behaviour at and around football matches and SDS is represented at all meetings of Joint Review Group (JAG) chaired by Neil Doncaster SPL Chief Executive.

The remit of this group, convened in March 2011, is to report on and discuss progress on the 41 proposals produced.

We await developments with interest.

Morag McHaffie