PARTICK Thistle chief executive Gerry Britton has assured supporters that the pitch at Firhill will not suffer after a deal was struck with fellow Glasgow club Queen's Park to share the stadium for the upcoming campaign.

The Spiders have now officially left Hampden after selling the national stadium to the Scottish FA and will eventually move to Lesser Hampden, also situated in Mount Florida, once construction is completed - a process that has been delayed by the pandemic.

Britton told the Thistle website that the move brings "welcome income to the club at a time when revenue streams are significantly curtailed", adding that the extra funds will have a "positive impact on the manager’s budget for next season". Herald and Times Sport understands that the deal could be cut short upon Lesser Hampden's completion.

Thistle announced on Thursday morning that the two clubs would groundshare for the 2021/22 season - a similar arrangement to previous deals struck with Clyde, Hamilton Accies and PRO14 outfit Glasgow Warriors.

The Warriors were the most recent team to adopt Maryhill as a temporary home for seven years between 2005 and 2012 and, perhaps inevitably, regular rugby fixtures damaged the turf at Firhill.

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READ MORE: Queen's Park and Partick Thistle announce groundshare ahead of new season

Some supporters raised concerns about the park when the announcement was made by the Jags on Twitter, but Britton has insisted that the pitch maintenance in Maryhill has come a long way since then.

He explained: "Whilst some fans may have concerns about our pitch holding up, since we last ground shared we have spent more than £250,000 to completely replace the pitch drainage system along with other additional ground works.

"The quality and resilience of the pitch is night and day compared to what it was, no pools of water and no games cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch in a number of years.

"That’s what gives us the confidence to say that the additional games at Firhill will have minimal impact."