Saturday 2nd December, 2017 at 10:00am
We continue our advent calendar look at each individual who has been inducted into the Hall of Fame for Partick Thistle Football Club.
Each day, at 10am, we’ll reveal the next Jags legend as we remember their best moments as they immortalized themselves into Partick Thistle history.
Neil Duffy
Debut: 01/10/1960 v Hibernian
Appearances: 190
Goals: 67
Neil joined Partick Thistle in 1960 from East Stirlingshire arriving as a highly-talented inside forward. Making his debut at Easter Road, Neil made an immediate impact helping the Jags to a 3-1 victory, before running the show when the men from Leith visited Maryhill later that campaign.
As part of a flamboyant forward line of Cowan, Whitelaw, Hainey, Duffy and McParland, Neil turned into a regular goalscorer for Thistle in a position that wasn’t an out-and-out striking role. He netted a variety of goals from caressed finishes into the corner of the net to left footed blasts which he was well known for.
In the 1962/63 campaign, Thistle went on an astonishing run of form, winning ten league matches in a row shooting to the top of the First Division. Neil played in every one of the ten games before the harsh winter caused Thistle to be out of action for almost two months. By the time the football returned, Thistle were unable to continue their momentum and eventually had to settle for third in a season which brought European football to Thistle’s door for the first time in the Club’s history.
After almost 200 appearances for the Jags and 67 goals, Neil’s career with Thistle came to an end in October 1964 when he left the club to head to Perth, joining St Johnstone where he continued his excellent goalscoring form.
Neil remained a regular visitor to Firhill, helping to launch the Club’s Firhill Centenary celebrations in 2009 before being inducted in the Thistle Hall of Fame later that same year. In June 2013, Neil passed away leaving behind a wealth of memories.
