Partick Thistle say alcohol trial 'went well' as Ayr United withdraw application

Partick Thistle say a trial to sell alcohol at Firhill “went well” and was an enjoyable experience for all of the fans who took part.

The Maryhill side were in League Cup action with a 2-0 win over Stranraer in the group stages on Tuesday night.

They were one of the clubs taking part in an initiative to sell alcoholic drinks outwith hospitality areas in football stadiums for the first time in over 40 years.

A blanket ban was introduced in 1981 following crowd trouble after a Scottish Cup final and has been in force ever since.

Seven Scottish clubs have now been granted permission to sell beer to those with general match tickets as part of an initiative bidding to show that relaxing the long-enforced ban can “enhance the fan experience”.

Thistle say they are now looking forward to the second part of the trial when they host Queen of the South next Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the club said: “It was great for the club to be involved in the trial. Operationally everything went well and the fans who attended all enjoyed themselves.

“There were no issues with behaviour and we believe that it added to the experience of what was a good night when you consider the result as well.

“We look forward to the second part of the trial when Queen of the South visit The Wyre Stadium at Firhill next Tuesday.”

Meanwhile, Championship club Ayr United have withdrawn their application to be part of the trial.

They were due to provide alcohol to a small section of match-going supporters at their upcoming games against Arbroath and Forfar, but they have now revealed that they will no longer be participating in the initiative.

A statement released on Wednesday said: “We can advise supporters that it has withdrawn applications for temporary alcohol licenses for the matches against Arbroath and Forfar following further discussions with local stakeholders.

“The club would like to thank the South Ayrshire licensing board, LSO and Building Standards for their support throughout the process and can confirm it will seek to apply for future licences as part of the ongoing pilot process.

“Supporters who have bought tickets for the events will be contacted directly regarding next steps.”