Footballer Neil Lennon was given a heart-warming welcome by supporters in the Scottish Premier League today just days after a death threat forced him to pull out of the Northern Ireland team.
The Celtic midfielder all-but announced his retirement from international football after receiving the death threat hours before his country's friendly with Cyprus in midweek.
Fears over his safety today at Partick Thistle's Glasgow ground proved wide of the mark as the home supporters joined the visitors in giving him a hero's welcome.
Earlier this week, the Northern Ireland skipper had been targeted by a death threat, allegedly from a loyalist paramilitary group but later discredited as a hoax, which forced him to pull out of the international game.
Although politicians and fans from all sections of Scottish football condemned the threats, the 31-year-old star said he would probably not play again for his country.
Lennon, whose family in Lurgan, Co Armagh, had previously been booed by a section of an overwhelmingly Protestant Northern Ireland crowd 18 months ago because of his Celtic connections, said he and his family were not prepared to take any more abuse.
A minute's silence in memory of murdered schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman was observed by Partick Thistle and Celtic supporters before their SPL clash.
PA