| Joe Cardle |
 Joseph Cardle was born on Saturday, 7th February, 1987, in Blackpool, Lancashire. The 5' 9 (9st 6lbs) midfielder signed for Gary Caldwell's Thistle on Friday, 4th January, 2019, having most recently been with Fylde. Aged 31, he made his debut appearance on Saturday, 5th January, 2019, in a 1-1 draw away to Dundee United in the SPFL Championship. Joe scored scored his first goal for Thistle on Saturday, 19th January, 2019, in a 4-1 win at home to Stranraer in the Scottish Cup. He scored the last of his 14 goals on Tuesday, 4th May, 2021, in a 3-2 defeat away to Montrose in the SPFL League One, thereby joining our scoring finale club. As mentioned, that turned out to be his game for Thistle, having appeared as a Jag on 77 occasions. At September, 2023, Joe's club-list included Port Vale, Clyde, Airdrie United, Dunfermline Athletic, Raith Rovers, Ross County, Fylde, Partick Thistle and Kelty Hearts. |
 Cardle tends to be played as a winger but can play on either side of the midfield. Starting his career at Port Vale in 2005, he made occasional appearances in his three years as a senior player at the club. Following a loan spell with Clyde in 2007, he signed with Scottish club Airdrie United in 2008, winning that year's Scottish Challenge Cup. The following year he moved on to Dunfermline Athletic, and helped the club to the First Division title in 2010–11. Cardle switched to Raith Rovers in March 2013, after Dunfermline Athletic hit a financial crisis. He helped Raith win the Scottish Challenge Cup in 2014, and won a move to top-flight club Ross County in May 2014. He rejoined Dunfermline Athletic in July 2015, and helped the club win the League One title in 2015–16. He signed with English non-League side AFC Fylde in July 2018 and then returned to Scotland to sign for Partick Thistle in January 2019. He won another League One title with Partick Thistle in 2020–21, before joining Kelty Hearts, much to the disappointment of a number of Thistle fans. He was named on the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for the second time after Hearts won the Scottish League Two title at the end of the 2021–22 season, and left the club the following summer. Ever a popular figure at Firhill, he returned in September 2023 to take part in Stuart Bannigan's testimonial match. Cardle's parents were originally from Glasgow, and moved to England before his birth. He always indicated that, had he ever been given the chance, he would have represented Scotland over his country of birth. His brother, Scott, is a lightweight boxer. Cardle has two daughters with his fiancée, Lucy-Anne Patterson. He owns UEFA B and A licences and set up a football academy in Dunfermline in 2020. |
| (WIK/WS) |
