Meticulous measures of Partick Thistle revealed - before 'knee-jerk' SPFL postponement

Partick Thistle defender Richard Foster says the “knee-jerk reaction” of cancelling the lower leagues of Scottish football is akin to grounding his brother for something he’d done wrong himself.

Richard Foster says the decision to postpone the lower leagues doesn't make sense (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Thistle, and fellow full-time club in League One Falkirk, have both issued stern statements criticising the decision to put them out of action for the remainder of this month.

And ex-Aberdeen and Rangers defender Foster has revealed the lengths clubs are going to follow the protocols, while the top two divisions are ‘afforded more luxury’.

He revealed Jags players have sent photos and videos from the team bus to chief executive Gerry Britton to prove their seating plan is being followed.

SFA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell denied the decision was influenced by Celtic's controversial trip to Dubai and positive coronavirus case

“He is meticulous. The sports scientist has sent him videos to show we are far enough apart pre-match,” said Foster.

“We went up to Cove and back without a shower. These are all little things we are doing because we want to be back playing football, but Premiership clubs don't have to because they test. They have been afforded more luxury than we have.”

The SFA and SPFL have both denied the league postponement was a influenced by Celtic’s controversial training camp but Foster told BBC Sportsound: “We are all annoyed, especially when it's on the back of a Premiership team going to Dubai, coming back, testing positive, having to isolate – the knee-jerk reaction was then to suspend the lower leagues.

“It's akin to me and my brother – I do something wrong and he gets grounded. It doesn't make any sense.”

Falkirk have called for urgent change in Scottish football, and Thistle also said they forewarned of issues earlier in the season.

Foster added: “There have been cases in the Premiership and the Championship and games off, there will have been cases in League One and Two but I don't know of any games postponed because of covid. There have been in the other two.

“So you have postponed a league which has had no game called off but allow a league to keep playing that has had these things.

“Thistle and Falkirk said right at the start we are full-time teams and have the capacity to test so if you put us in a league with part-time teams who don't have that capacity then this could happen, now it has.”

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