IT WAS a Saturday afternoon more than seven decades ago, but Stewart Murray can remember it as clear as day.

“Five minutes to kick-off at Firhill, I stood open-mouthed, I had never been so excited in my life,” he recalls.

Glasgow Times: Stewart Murray, lifelong Jags fan

“The aroma coming from the pie stalls, the smell of the smoke from all the tenement chimney pots on Firhill Road, fans arriving and shaking hands with their pals.

“You could see the excitement in their faces as they awaited the start of the game. Suddenly a roar went up, eight young boys - who looked not much older than myself – ran out. It was the ball boys. Then, an explosion of noise heralded the Jags’ arrival on the park, followed by their opponents from the east side of the City, the mighty Clyde….”

Stewart, who grew up in Knightswood, got in touch with Times Past to share his memories of the first time he saw Partick Thistle play.

“It was September 1948, and I was sitting at the kitchen table eating my usual plate of porridge, when my mother announced that instead of going shopping in Glasgow city centre, we were going to visit my brother Ian and his new wife Nan at their flat in Park Road,” he explains.

“Naturally I was delighted by this news, as I was only eight years old at the time, and nothing was more boring than going shopping.

Glasgow Times: Tommy Wright

“My father had died in the January, and my mother found times very hard. A day out in Glasgow helped her in her grief.

“The only enjoyment I had was when we made time for afternoon tea at Craig’s tearooms, where you selected from a three- tier cake stand. Freshly made sandwiches on top, the middle tier was full of scones and, best of all on the bottom plate, were the delicious cream cakes.”

There was a slight drizzle in the air, recalls Stewart, when he and his mum left on the 11A bus from Knightswood Cross.

“Fifteen minutes later we arrived at Ian’s flat at on Park Road. Another surprise was awaiting me - my brother announced he was taking me to Firhill for the Jags game against our rivals Clyde.”

Stewart and Ian arrived in plenty time for kick-off.

Glasgow Times: Stewart with his wife Jean

“I was sent down near the front at the north end,” he says. “Firhill was very different then.

“As it was used for greyhound racing for a couple of nights a week, gantries with lights attached were placed around the ground. The north end had an enclosure around it, with pie stalls and the greyhound tote offices on the back wall. A large totaliser board stood in the far left hand corner at the Glasgow end.”

It was not the first game Stewart had been to.

“My brother-in-law George Lockhart took me to see the League cup final between Falkirk and East Fife at Hampden Park,” he says.

“The crowd was not far off 58,000. I couldn’t see much, and there were no goals, so it was not the greatest game for my first match.

“This one was different - Thistle went on to win 3 - 2 with goals from Walker, Wright and Brown.

READ MORE: The Glasgow choir which joined Sex Pistols and Prodigy on BBC banned list

“My favourite player that day was Tommy Wright, a fast right-winger, who signed for Sunderland later on in the season. I went home a very happy boy that day, with the customary bag of chips after a game.”

“It was the start of a wonderful relationship with a great Scottish football club. Thistle Forever…..”