The Army bring an exclusive to Firhill.
Friday 12th March 2010
Partick Thistle were treated to an exclusive showing today when the 1st Battalion of the Scots Guards chose Firhill to show their new combat camouflage kit for the first time. The guys drove all the way up from their Catterick garrison to give us the exclusive look, and it was due largely to Sgt. Major John Lilley and C. Sgt. Denver Nunn, who are diehard Jags fans. Sgt. Major Lilley even proudly displayed his Thistle tattoo, and all the troops got together with the Thistle players for a pose with their “camouflage” kit, as the following picture shows.
Sgt. Major Lilley also took the opportunity to hand over a gift of the Scots Guards crest shield to club captain Alan Archibald (pictured below).
The Battalion are being deployed to the Helmond province in Afghanistan next week, and indeed some of the guys at the ground today ship out this very Monday. The original plan was to have the guys as hospitality guests of the club at tomorrow’s game, but unfortunately the fixture situation made it impossible, but the men were very happy to meet the players and to be given a tour of the ground in the meantime. There was enough time for the troops to give midfielder Paul Cairney a taste of what they’ll be carrying in the heat of the desert by inviting him to wear approximately half of the pack they’ll be using in action, as well as a rocket launcher. Paul was happy to accept the invitation, and found it all “quite” heavy.
We would like to thank the 1st battalion of the Scots Guards for allowing us the exclusive look at what they’ll be taking into action, and wish them the best of luck in their 7 month tour of duty, and look forward to welcoming them back safely to Firhill later in the year. A fuller set of images from today's visit will be added to the photo gallery soon.
