They were the days when the Hampden Roar could send the Auld Enemy scuttling back across the border and half of Edinburgh, or so it seemed, filled Easter Road with so much noise it could almost be heard across the Firth of Forth.

They were the days when the Hampden Roar could send the Auld Enemy scuttling back across the border and half of Edinburgh, or so it seemed, filled Easter Road with so much noise it could almost be heard across the Firth of Forth.

A staggering 149,415 fans crammed into Hampden Park's terraces to watch Scotland's home international against England in 1937 - still a record for the highest football attendance in Europe. Over 65,800 brought Leith to a standstill as they queued to watch Hibs against Hearts in 1950. Now only 17,500 are allowed to sit at the ground.

But the atmosphere generated by standing fans was lost for many after the Taylor Report almost 20 years ago, which recommended all seater stadiums following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in which 96 Liverpool fans died.

Many claim the changes have ruined the atmosphere at grounds and now a group of fans has won a pledge from MSPs they will investigate their call for a return to standing room at Scottish Premier League matches after more than 2300 signed a petition urging a return to traditional terracings.

Dunfermline supporter Stephen Taylor of the Pars Supporters Trust, said none of the disasters in British or European football grounds resulted from fans standing and it was an "unhappy coincidence" their call came so soon after the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough.

He said: "It was to do with the access to the ground and that supporters were being moved into a caged area with no escape routes. German football leagues have coped with a mix of standing and sitting for many years.

"As ever, the Germans are technically ahead of us with the standard of construction of terrace and seating they use. We've also got to the stage now that policing and stewarding at football matches are very much on top of crowd control. I think trouble and safety are not really the issues as far as the standing-sitting debate is at the current time."

Backing the application, Fife MSP John Park said: "Nobody wants to see Scottish football go back to the old days of cramped and unsafe terraces, but I believe that there could be a place for limited standing areas at SPL football matches.

"Clubs such as Greenock Morton and Queen of the South could be vying for promotion next year. If they have the talent on the field it is unfair that they should be penalised for not having enough seats. German clubs have demonstrated that standing areas can be safely operated and improve the choice available to spectators."

Mr Taylor told the Public Petitions Committee that the Pars Supporters Trust had wide support from across Scottish football fans and was linked to a parallel campaign south of the border: "We are not asking for this to be mandatory. We just want clubs to have the right to allow this," he said, stressing that police would retain overall responsibility for crowd control.

He pointed out that at present fans defied the authorities in large numbers and stood in sitting areas, ruining the game for those behind who wanted to sit. He contrasted this inflexibility with Germany where most major grounds had areas that could be switched between seating and standing areas.

The German football authority agreed to retain standing areas, arguing in their report on the issue: "Football is culture. It involves not only the spirit of fair play but also the solidarity inspired by a sense of community."

The SFA said: "We take our lead from the police. The measures that we brought in were in line with the Taylor Report.

"If the police come back and say otherwise we would consider that but we don't envisage a situation where this will change."