Furious Richard Foster has revealed that the fan bust up he was involved in at the weekend was because of "sectarian" comments.
The player was filmed having an aggressive argument with a fan during Thistle's match against Ayr at Somerset Park on Friday.
He also revealed that the fan made insulting comments about his wife.
The Jags were on their way to the dressing room after going down 2-0 during the first 45 in Ayrshire.
Foster was captured confronting a fan on the terraces in an angry exchange
The Thistle defender has since apologised, but has now revealed the reason behind his reaction.
But the former Rangers and Aberdeen star admitted that he still should not have responded the way he did.
“It was stupid if me to react, because that’s exactly what they were doing; trying to get one of us to react,” he told PLZ Soccer.
“Some of the stuff and not just directed at me, but the whole team, was outrageous. Stuff you'd get arrested or battered for in the street.
“I heard a couple of things and thought: ‘I’m not taking that from a Partick Thistle fan.
“It was stupid from me to react but some of the stuff was ridiculous. I don’t even know why you would think: ‘I’m going to say that to one of my own players.’
“Then they expect me to come out for the second half and be like: ‘Aw great, I can't wait for the second half and really try and play well now!’
“It’s just a strange, strange mindset.
“But first and foremost, I shouldn’t have reacted, but people tend to know that I'm so passionate when I’m playing and when I’m getting beat, I’m not happy and I react probably more easily than I do when I’m winning.”
The defender is married to Scottish singer-songwriter Amy McDonald.
He admitted that he did not hear the comments made about her at the time, but returned to confront the abuser after catching them shout sectarian abuse.
He told PLZ: “Some of the stuff he said, it was only after the fact I heard the stuff about Amy. But before that, I heard the sectarian stuff and that’s what changed it.
“You can't see it in the video but I’m walking away from him, then I hear that. It was the wrong thing I heard at the wrong time and I just reacted to it.
“It wasn’t and it’s never nice to hear, particularly because it was said to me by one of my own fans. It wasn’t a great evening.”
