The Thistle Archive

Partick Thistle have for many years been looked upon as a fairly good-class club in Scotland, but they must have sadly deteriorated, or have very carefully left their “class“ at home. It was cynically observed at Perry Barr on Saturday that they were not playing their best for fear some of the Scots should be bribed by English gold to prolong their stay in Birmingham or the neighbourhood, and perhaps their very ordinary show may be accounted for in this way. It was a long way to come to meet with such a disastrous defeat as ten goals to nothing, and the team will probably recross the Tweed without the compliment of advantageous offers. Luckily, they had a very smart 'keeper, or something like a record might have been compiled against them; as it is, the Thistle have earned the questionable honour of being the best thrashed Scottish club who have ever been to Perry Barr. The game merits little description, for the Villa forwards commenced to pile up the score at such an alarming rate that there never was a question of who would be victors, and the visiting defence, with the exception of the custodian, was feeble in the extreme. Their front rank was wild, fairly fast and unpolished; and their half-backs were erratic, and sometimes more than a trifle “dour“. Captain Cox and his partner had occasionally a few anxious moments, but they were usually distant spectators of the play, and the Villa forwards were so admirably fed by the half-way division that their attacks were almost incessant, and always dangerous. McKnight scored with regularity and persistency, and his comrades seemed quite content that he should take the honours. In parts of the vanguard there seemed a slight disposition to neglect the brilliant right-winger who had as suddenly sprung into prominence, though Dickson again showed conspicuous unselfishness and tried honestly and earnestly to assist his speedy and smart young protege. Hodgetts was exceptionally good, and seemed to have recovered all the old fire and finish which made him so celebrated a player a couple of seasons ago.

Birmingham Daily Post, Monday, 30th March, 1891

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