PARTICK Thistle supporters have saved the Glasgow club nearly £100,000 after 97 per cent of season ticket holders refused the club’s offer of a refund for the 2020/21 campaign – leaving club officials “speechless”.

Jags fans were locked out of Firhill as Ian McCall’s men stormed to the League One title with a late surge up the table and haven’t attended a home game since a 1-1 draw with Dunfermline in March 2020.

Thistle offered a refund for those supporters who had pledged their hard-earned cash to games they knew they would likely not see in person – with only 38 out of 1231 opting to take the club up on their offer.

The act of generosity is estimated to have saved the club a figure in the region of £100k – a sizeable sum in a time where finances are being squeezed throughout Scottish football.

A statement on the club’s website read: “It has been proven beyond all doubt over the last year that Partick Thistle fans are world class when it comes to supporting the club through thick and thin.

“Over the past 12 months, all while not being able to attend a single match, Thistle fans have continued to offer unrelenting backing of the club through purchases of match streams, player sponsorships, 50/50 tickets and advertising opportunities around Firhill, to name just a few. Then there is the incredible volume of donations through the supporter-led GoFundMe fundraising page as well as numerous individual private donations made to the club.

The Herald:

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“The Thistle faithful have now shown their latest display of support to the club after just 3% of 2020/21 season ticket holders took up the refund option provided by the club earlier this month, as was promised at the start of the season.

“We know that the ongoing situation means life remains extremely tough at the moment and so we are genuinely pleased that supporters who required a refund to assist them at this challenging time took up the option.

“With only 38 out of 1,231 (3.09%) season ticket holders doing so, this resulted in a total refund cost of less than £5,000 – should all 2020/21 season ticket holders have claimed the refund they were entitled to, the cost to the club would have been close to £100,000.

“This is another incredible gesture by our season ticket holders and a continuation of the amazing support that all Thistle fans have shown us over the last year. Offering refunds remains the correct thing to do and the support returned by the red and yellow army is humbling and appreciative.

“The impact of this is a massive financial boost to the club as we continue to plan for next season’s campaign in the Championship when, hopefully, we’ll be able to start to welcome you back to Firhill.

The Herald:

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“We have received many requests from supporters looking to purchase their 2021/22 Partick Thistle season ticket and we can now update that these are scheduled to go on sale week commencing 24th May. Further details on next year’s season tickets will follow in due course.

“Once again, the Thistle support have left us speechless by their unwavering backing of the club – we thank you and look forward to seeing you back at Firhill soon.”