stats - xls spreadsheet 1891-92 League football at last

• The Alliance league begins
• Tragedy at the Crinnan Canal
• Rough stuff in the Scottish Cup
• Thistle's first penalty kick
• Massacred in England

If the season before had begun with a fancy dress party, this one began more seriously - with a meeting of the committee of the Alliance, as Thistle continued their way into the realms of organised league football. Half the season's fixtures were arranged. There was concern, especially from the Ayrshire clubs, that teams would be weakened if players were selected to play for their county sides on league days. The committee assured clubs that all assistance would be given to re-arrange Alliance fixtures if this happened. The committee, however, were of the opinion that "the days of inter-association fixtures is numbered". Thistle's historic first round of Alliance fixtures were scheduled as:

Aug   8 Ayr (H) Aug 15 East Stirling (A) Aug 22 Morton (H) Sep 12 Glasgow Thistle (H) Oct   3 St Bernard (A) Oct 24 Kings Park (H) Nov 14 Airdrieonians (A) Dec   5 Port Glasgow Athletic (H)

Queen's Park continued their stand against league football, but retained their links with Partick Thistle by announcing a friendly game. Other of Queen's Park's opponents were Everton, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, and Corinthians.

The Scottish Sport reported on preparations for the start of the season. "Partick Thistle are to restart training at Inchview when several new faces will be seen. All the players will return, including Paul. A practice match is arranged for Saturday 1st August. During the close season several alterations have been made to the clubhouse and ground which will be an improvement to players and spectators. Members' and season tickets are now available from officials."

The excitement, which surrounded the forthcoming season, was soured by the tragic news of the death of stalwart forward John Young, who was drowned in the Crinnan Canal. Young first played for the club in 1881; his last game was in the Past v Present game of the previous season. The practice match was cancelled, and forty members of Partick Thistle attended the funeral.

The first game in the Alliance attracted 1000 spectators for the game against Ayr, with admission priced at threepence (ladies free), and the grandstand threepence extra. The committee's day, however, was fraught with worries. Willie Paul, a doubtful starter, turned up, but J.Smith the Thistle right halfback did not, while it was rumoured that John Herd had moved to Glasgow Thistle. Ayr were 45 minutes late in turning up, so the game did not kick off until 5pm. It was a brilliant and exciting game. Thistle scored the winner with two minutes left - there was a great shout when Thistle scored the winner to end the game 3-2. The match reports credited Willie Paul and J.H.Davie - a good left wing, and William Proudfoot and Thomas Campbell - safe at the back. Paul scored two goals, while Walter Keay was credited with the other goal, despite not being listed in the team! Match details here.

Success continued with a 2-1 win over East Stirling, with McCorkindale best for Thistle with some good saves to take the club to the top of the Alliance after two games. However, the following week Morton inflicted a 1-2 defeat at Inchview after a disputed free-kick. John Gilchrist and P.Rodger both played despite being ill. At the next Alliance meeting Thistle complained that the referee against Morton had been incompetent - he had ended the first half early, restarted, and then ended early again. Referal was also made the the free-kick which led to the Morton goal, which should have been to Thistle. Morton supported the referee, despite criticising him at the post-match social.

Thistle visited Hampden for the friendly match against Queen's Park, and it turned out to be a bizarre match. Thistle had never beaten Queen's, but after 30 minutes were 4-0 up on their illustrious opponents, despite missing Gilchrist and Rodger. However, the home side came back and won the game 6-5. This game saw the first ever penalty in a Partick Thistle match. After a back handled the ball McCorkindale saved the penalty kick.

The first round of the Scottish Cup (the tournament did not have a Qualifying round yet) saw Thistle travel to play Glasgow Wanderers, and win 2-1, despite losing Thomas Campbell before the end with an injured leg. Match details here.

A second defeat in the Alliance followed, as Glasgow Thistle won 4-2 at Inchview, before the third competition of the season was entered into - the Glasgow Cup.

Thistle suffered again from injuries come the end of the Glasgow Cup tie with Cathcart. With eight minutes remaining Thistle were 1-0 down, and with only nine men on the field, but brought the game back to 1-1 at the end. Walter Keay was injured and would miss his work for two weeks, while Davie and Woods were also suffering after the game.

After the disappointing Cathcart result, there was an appalling defeat, 3-0 at home to Hurlford in the Scottish Cup, despite having most of the play in a rough game. Thistle lost J.Smith late in the game after "an accident", before Thomas Campbell was sent off along with Cosgrove of Hurlford. At the disciplinary meeting after the game, the referee accused both players of fighting. Campbell responded by saying that he had never been accused of rough play before, and if it had not been for his smartness in avoiding Cosgrove's butting head he would have been carried of the field, Cosgrove denied butting, but admitted charging. Both players were censured. This game continued the poor run of results since the defeat at Hampden.

Ammends were made when Cathcart came to Inchview to replay the Glasgow Cup tie. Thistle's first penalty was awarded, but John Cameron missed it. Despite this, Thistle won comfortably 5-0. Match details here.

Although results had been disappointing for Thistle in the Alliance, the taste of regular league football must have been regarded as a success, and 2nd XI representative Andrew Smith invited eleven other clubs to form a Glasgow 2nd XI league. The proposal was unanimously agreed to.

Thistle's next opponents in the Glasgow Cup were League side Celtic. Despite a good first half performance from Thistle, and especially William Proudfoot, Celtic won 3-0, and progressed to win the final, and also reach the Scottish Cup Final.

Back to Alliance business, and further poor performances were recorded against Airdrie (1-5) and Kings Park (0-1) before a trip to England and a 3-0 defeat by Sunderland.

Off the field the Partick Thistle Male Voice Choir was formed, but after several even games which Thistle had lost there was a degree of feeling that there should be more practice at shooting, and less at singing.

The Scottish League agreed to a proposal from the Alliance that a representative game should be played. The likelihood was that it would be played at the end of the season.

The poor results continued, with a 0-7 home defeat from St Bernards, unthinkable a couple of years previous, before a 2-2 draw against Airdrie, and two rare wins, 4-2 away to Ayr followed by 2-1 at home to Port Glasgow Athletic. Following a terrible 9-4 defeat at Springburn against Northern, Thistle ended the year in eighth place in the Alliance. Match details here.

A New Year tour of the Northeast of England had to be cancelled because players were unable to get away. Games against Newcastle, and a return against Sunderland had been planned.

Games were played against Queen's Park - a creditable 1-0 defeat, and a defeat, 1-3, at the hands of Rangers - another indication of the poor performances being displayed.

Individually, Thistle players were receiving recognition. William Proudfoot played for Glasgow against Edinburgh, while Bruce was selected for Glasgow's team against Sheffield, a 4-2 win.

The first win of 1892 was recorded in a friendly against Glasgow Wanderers. Walter Keay and J.H.Davie scored in a 2-1 win. However, there was disappointing news that same day, when it was revealed that John McCorkindale, Thistle's international keeper, had left to join Clyde. Rumours were circulating that William Proudfoot would be joining him, although Thistle threatened a complaint to the SFA if Clyde signed the player.

Amidst the news that erstwhile match secretary Andrew Smith was contemplating retiral, Alliance fixtures continued, and the start of the season saw an away 2-2 draw at Port Glasgow and an away 1-3 defeat at Morton, before Linthouse inflicted a 3-5 defeat at Inchview. Match details here.

As the second month of the year opened, thankfully Thistle's results improved, inspired particularly by the performances of William Proudfoot at full-back. Indeed there were calls for Proudfoot to be given a place in the international trial matches being arranged. 2nd top Kilmarnock visited Partick, where an own goal and goals from Gilchrist and L.Proudfoot gave Thistle a 3-2 win. An away 2-3 defeat at Glasgow Thistle was quickly followed up by a 5-0 win over East Stirlingshire and a 7-3 win over Northern. Prior to a spring trip to north-west England, Thistle visited St Bernards. Earlier in the season the Edinburgh team had inflicted a 0-7 defeat on Thistle, and this time there was an improvement, though St Bernards won 3-2. Match details here.

Thistle travelled to Liverpool in high spirits, though without William Proudfoot, who remained in Glasgow, and turned out for Third Lanark against Blackburn Rovers. However, the travelling belief was quickly eroded in the game against Bootle. The home team played most of the game with just nine men, but easily won 9-1. Field Sports magazine of Liverpool was moved to comment "The Partick Thistle are not the team they were by a long chalk. (Thistle had drawn the previous season 2-2.) Most of them are strangers, there being only two – Gilchrist and Smith – who played against Bootle last season. Their secretary was wonderfully confident on Saturday, and pointed out how easily it was to get players in the land of the "amateur". It may be so, but Partick Thistle have not got them, and a more ragged lot never left Scotland. Head and shoulders above his colleagues stood Bruce, the left half-back, who was second to no man on the field."

Two days later Sheffield Wednesday were the opponents. Wednesday had inflicted a 2-3 defeat the previous season but this time embarrassed Thistle, again by the score of 9-1. Scottish Sport was equally scathing "… much better to stay at home and do nothing than to go abroad and be so 'active'."

Returning home, Thistle quickly realised that the tour had been a fitting climax to a disappointing season, exiting cup competitions early and displaying poor form in the first year of the Alliance. Though there still remained a few Alliance matches to be played, these slipped by uneventfully – a 1-3 defeat by old Govan rivals Linthouse, and a 0-5 defeat from Kilmarnock, slightly tempered by a 3-2 win at Kings Park, which saw an appearance by Minerva junior player Joe Leiper. Match details here. The Greenock Charity Cup, often a happy tournament for Thistle, saw defeat in the first round, 0-1 by Morton.

May saw the final of the Scottish Junior Cup which was won by local side Minerva, starring Leiper, prompting opponents West Benhar to protest unsuccessfully.

The season finished at an Alliance meeting where dissatisfaction was expressed by clubs over the cost of travelling to away games compared to the visiting club's share of gate receipts. Many clubs had developed financial problems because of this. The Alliance was reconstituted by Airdrieonians, Kilmarnock, Linthouse, Northern, Partick Thistle and Glasgow Thistle, and new clubs Cambuslang and Cowlairs. Morton, St Bernards, Port Glasgow, Ayr, East Stirlingshire and Kings Park (presumably the clubs who were unable to match expenses with gate receipts) were invited to reapply for next season.

Final league table.

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Linthouse	15	3	4	89	51	33
Kilmarnock	13	3	6	76	39	29
Morton	12	3	7	67	66	27
St Bernards	11	4	7	63	45	26
Northern	9	4	9	76	70	22
Airdrieonians	8	5	9	65	66	21
Port Glasgow	7	6	9	54	56	20
Ayr	8	4	10	64	70	20
Partick Thistle	8	3	11	48	66	19
East Stirlingshire	7	4	11	62	82	18
Kings Park	7	1	14	60	84	15
Glasgow Thistle	5	4	13	55	84	14

stats - xls spreadsheet

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