Dog fouls up Partick Thistle’s first game

Partick Thistle have been forced to seek a new venue for Sunday’s Scottish Women’s Premier League game against Glasgow City, with a urinating dog the culprit behind their need for an alternative pitch.
Brian Graham’s side have been temporarily housed in Maryhill’s Lochburn Park with Petershill, owned by Glasgow City but used for home games by Thistle, undergoing a makeover as the pitch is re-laid and widened. League bosses had approved Thistle’s use of Lochburn Park before the season started but were forced into a U-turn this week.
Their decision came after a dog was seen urinating on a bag of balls as Thistle hosted Hibs on the opening day of the SWPL season last weekend. The Leith side complained to league bosses and City complained that the ground did not satisfy SWPL requirements. Hibs won the match 2-1.
As such, Thistle were told last weekend that they needed to find an alternative venue at short notice with the likelihood being that they will use Kirkintilloch Rob Roy’s stadium.
The surface at Lochburn has been heavily criticised by players in the opening stages of the campaign with some also raising complaints about the proximity of the pitch to a large concrete wall.
However, Thistle are said to be aggrieved at the decision to make them switch grounds given the lack of time to source an alternative. They have also pointed out that dogs are not an uncommon sight at SWPL games around the country and are allowed in at Petershill when it is operational.
Firhill will be handed over to the women’s team on September 1 for their league game against Aberdeen but won’t be used this weekend.
There were just five points between Hibs, one of the leviathans of Scottish women’s football in terms of their history and heritage, and Partick Thistle last season. There have been private musings inside Firhill that moving the game to a bigger pitch plays into City’s hands this week and would also be of benefit to Hibs across the course of the season.