PARTICK THISTLE chairman Jacqui Low has promised that all staff at the Championship club will be retained and paid in full until the end of May, when the 2019/20 season was set to conclude.

In a statement published on the club's website, Low wrote that she is hoping to make use of the Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - if football clubs are allowed to utilise it - and that Thistle would cover any discrepancy in wages so that staff still take home their usual rate of pay.

In the event that the scheme does not apply to football clubs, Thistle have vowed to pay all of their staff their full salaries as agreed.

"We do not want anyone to worry about their jobs or income against the current backdrop of uncertainty," Low wrote. "Therefore, the Board has decided that from now until the end of May (the end of the season as was), we will retain all staff across the Club on full pay.

"We will look to use the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, if that is available to us, for certain groups within the Club but we will make up any difference to reflect their usual rate of pay.

"If it is not, we will still honour our commitment to every employee in full. Regardless of their role at Thistle, we have an equal responsibility to each of them at this time.

"Given that information is changing almost daily, our plan is to go forward in phases, continually monitoring what’s happening and making informed decisions as we go forward with the best interests of the Club as our guiding principle."

Low praised the prudent financial approach of the club's current and previous boards that has ensured that the Maryhill club are relatively well-equipped to deal with the shutdown of sport, but conceded that the lack of regular income does bring challenges with it.

"In the normal course of things, football is at the heart of many lives. Today, as we await the full force of the coronavirus, like many other things that used to matter, playing a game seems of little consequence," she said.

"However, the ongoing absence of football is bringing challenges to all Clubs, including Thistle. The prospect of no games – and no income – for potentially a considerable time has been the Board’s focus since the shutdown.

"With the help of CEO Gerry Britton, we have considered what’s the best course of action for the Club. It has to be one that protects our long-term future but also reflects our immediate responsibilities to our employees, whether players, management, full-time office staff, ground staff, hospitality staff or part-time matchday staff. It also has to be a strategy that allows us to continue to live within our means and keeps us debt free.

"Due to careful management by successive Boards, our finances are in better shape than many others. But we cannot be complacent as no one knows when football will resume."

Elsewhere in the statement, the Firhill chairman was effusive in her praise for supporters after nearly £35,000 was raised by fans in one week.

"The financial assistance offered to the Club by our fans totals just short of £35k raised in a week," Low wrote. "That is incredible and has allowed us to consider doing things we might not otherwise have been able to. We cannot thank fans enough for their support, financial or otherwise. We are indeed Partick Thistle Family Club.

"Your support for Partick Thistle has been immense, our only request is that you look after yourselves and those you love. Stay at home, stay safe – we want you all back at Firhill when the day comes that we can play again."