Home fans’ barracking leaves a sour taste
● Dour relegation scrap marred further by vicious treatment of two returning captains and questionable sending-off
The intemperate, a sense of injustice, and fear-fuelled football framed the meeting of the Championship’s two bottom clubs at Firhill on Saturday.
There was nothing very edifying about Falkirk’s snatching of a point from a contest pitting them against a largely dominant Partick Thistle. This extended beyond the circumstances that resulted in the outcome, with the home support’s barracking of two former captains in the visiting ranks in the shape of Abdul Osman and Paul Paton – the latter replacing the former late on after enduring a power of abuse on his debut following an ill-fated move from Glasgow to Greece in the summer – arresting in its viciousness.
It was perhaps a symptom of the growing frustration being felt by the denizens of the city’s west end over their team’s inability to extricate themselves from a perilous position in the second tier.
The failure to lift themselves above Falkirk, beleaguered Thistle manager Gary Caldwell believed, owed everything to the decision of “arrogance” by referee Andrew Dallas to show a second yellow to Gary Harkins, pictured, for a nothing foul.
With 11 men, Thistle looked like getting the value of a smart Blair Spittal strike. Within two minutes of Harkins being banished, Zak Rudden ensured they wouldn’t, the teenage striker only returning from Rangers on loan hours before kick-off.
Onlyonthursdaydidosman receive the international clearance that allowed him to make his first Falkirk appearance at his old stomping ground. He may wish it had been delayed a few more days after being given absolute dog’s abuse from fans of a Firhill club to which he gave four years’ service before being released on their relegation from the Premiership in May.
The 31-year-old Ghanaian confessed to his shock at being on the receiving end of such vituperations, and was candid enough to admit it cost him his composure on an afternoon when he appeared off it throughout.
“I didn’t expect it at all. The firsttimeigotatouchoftheball fromathrow-inandiheardthe jeers and I was like... f***! I was surprisedtobehonest,”hesaid. “Iwashereforsolongandipersonally thought I had done all right for the club. But it is what it is. It’s nothing new to me. To be honest I don’t know why I got a reception like that.
“Whenyouhearthatthrough
ABDUL OSMAN
the game you want to do more but it’s taking you away from your own game. I think I probably would have got sent off if
I hadn’t been taken off, to be honest, because I was losing my head.”
With Alloa’s win over Morton putting six and seven points between them and Partick respectively, it was put to Osman that he could have the “last laugh” with the possibility his new team could relegate his old one.
“I’ve got a soft spot for Thistle and I wouldn’t want to be the ones that send them down – I hope that would be someone other than Falkirk.
“I wish them well, I had fun at Thistle for four years and I loved every minute of it, so
no bad feelings. At least when Paul Paton came on he got it and took some of the pressure off me...”
Osman could laugh about his experience at Firhill because even an unwelcoming slice of Scotland figured as a relief after his latest Greek sojourn – he was also there seven years ago – with top-flight club Lamia. The midfielfder was coruscating in his take on his three months there, which ended in November when he forced his release.
“In terms of football it was really good and technically I learned a lot,” he said. “But it’s just a bit backwards out there. I just thought they were backwards when it came to the things they do like paying wages late. I couldn’t stand it and had to break the contract.
“If you are working you want to get paid, especially overseas. And when that wasn’t happening, and my family was still here, I thought it doesn’t make sense to stay.”
COMPASSION
“I’veasoftspotfor Partickthistleandi wouldn’t want to be theonesthatsend them down”