Three decades ago, on the evening of 13 February 1993, pub-goers in Glasgow’s Maryhill had a lot to discuss over their post-match pints. Disgruntled following a 0-4 home defeat against Dundee United that afternoon, Partick Thistle fans could take a small crumb of comfort from the fact that – had it not been for one of the most bizarre decisions in recent Scottish football history – it should have been a five-goal defeat for their side.
The Ghost ‘Goal’
There were 43 minutes on the clock when Dundee United striker Paddy Connolly, standing a foot from the goal-line, lashed a shot into the net to put the visitors 0-2 in front. Or so he thought. Connolly’s shot bounced straight back into play from the goalposts’ supporting stanchion.
As Connolly and co skipped back to the halfway line in jubilant mood for the restart, the Partick players must have been dreading their manager John Lambie’s impending half-time earbashing. However, neither referee Les Mottram or his assistants appeared to notice the goal, or the respective reactions of both sets of players, it would seem. What’s more, Partick defender Martin Clark caught the ball as it rebounded from the stanchion and handed it to his goalkeeper Andy Murdoch in the middle of the six-yard-box. Mottram’s decision: play on!
United manager Jim McLean and his assistant Paul Sturrock were, quite understandably, furious. As Jim White highlighted in his Scotsport commentary: ‘No prizes for guessing the thrust of Paul Sturrock’s half-time protestations, and, not surprisingly, Jim McLean had something to say about it too.’
United dominant
John Lambie’s Jags didn’t capitalise on their stroke of luck, and a dominant United scored three second half goals – including two for Connolly – to run out 4-0 winners.
This was McLean’s final season in charge at Tannadice, and his side finished the Premier Division campaign in fourth spot. Partick, who had been promoted to the top flight the previous summer, ended the campaign in eighth place.
The farcical scenes at Firhill didn’t do much harm to Mottram’s career; the referee went on to take charge of two matches at the 1994 World Cup in the US, and the Euro 96 semi-final between France and the Czech Republic at Old Trafford, Manchester.
Ghost of Firhill returns
Incredibly, 25 years after the ‘Firhill ghost goal’, Partick were the victims of an almost identical scenario at the same end of the ground. In a match against Morton in September 2018, Partick striker Kris Doolan’s shot came off the underside of the crossbar, visibly rippled the back of the net, before bouncing back into the six-yard-box. As the Partick players celebrated a goal that should have given them a 2-0 lead, a Morton player thumped the ball out of play in frustration. However, akin to the officials in 1993, neither the referee nor his assistants spotted the ball hitting the net and, following a discussion, a throw-in was awarded to a baffled home side. Fortunately for the Jags, and the sanity of manager Alan Archibald, they held on to their one-goal lead to win the match.
Oh well, at least the introduction of VAR means there are no more controversial decisions in Scottish football…
Were you at Firhill in February 1993? Let us know in the comments’ section.
Scottish Football Stories 