Partick Thistle vs Kilmarnock and the 4316 reasons to lift stadium restrictions now

Holyrood chiefs were rightly accused of plucking the 500 figure out of thin air when Scottish football was hit with the gut-wrenching return of covid restrictions for Christmas.

But there’s nothing random about saying there’s 4315 reasons to remove the curbs immediately and not wait until Monday’s Celtic v Hibs clash.

In fact make that 4316.

Why? Well Partick Thistle host Kilmarnock on Friday evening in a fixture that would be circled as one of the top games on the Championship calendar at the start of the campaign.

And the fact only 500 punters will be allowed through the door is a travesty given that just under nine times that figure attended the September clash between the two in Maryhill.

That crowd was 4315 to be precise.

Throw in the small matter of the game being televised live on BBC and you have another major reason to open the gates on Firhill Road as wide as the Forth and Clyde canal right behind the ground.

What purpose does it serve to wait another three days to lift the restrictions?

Scottish football often suffers an image problem when live games or highlight packages outwith the big two show swathes of empty stands.

The product on the park might not be as far behind our rivals down south in terms of entertainment value but when you see packed stadiums on one side of the border and empty seats on the other it sure as heck produces an artificial gulf.

So here we are with the prime opportunity to showcase the most competitive division in Scotland, perhaps the UK, with the two best-supported teams and it’s being forced to go ahead in front of just 500 fans.

Three days later it could be rammed with an expectant home support and an Ayrshire contingent re-energised by the impressive appointment of Derek