Thistle are a side we really have to be looking to take points off of as we embark on the final third of the campaign before the split. They, like us, are fighting to stay in the division, dreams of a top six spot having all but faded. A win over them is worth just as many points as a win over, say, Aberdeen or Dundee United, but it comes. A win would put six points between us and Thistle, who are second bottom, but a defeat would bring them level with us.
Our games against Partick Thistle this season provided rather contrasting scorelines. In August they destroyed us 2-1 - somehow taking until the last 10 minutes to manage a goal. How we'd managed to be in front for so long is a bit of a mystery, but despite the late goals there was no doubting who deserved to win. It was a result that almost cost Danny Lennon his job, but he managed to cling on and oversaw our 3-0 demolition at Firhill in November. We were perhaps a bit fortunate to win by such a margin, but a repeat of that result - if not the performance - would be more than welcome tomorrow!
Last week we were terrific in the first half against Hibs before settling for what we'd got after the break - understandable considering we were three goals up at the time! A repeat of that first half display is a must tomorrow. The home fans are owed it after we were destroyed by Celtic the last time we played in Paisley and we really need to win this one. If we move the ball about as well and utilise the pace and movement we have then that, along with keeping things tight at the back, will hopefully be enough to see us through.
There's no reason to change things after last week and hopefully that's exactly what Danny Lennon will do. I wasn't there but it seems Adam Campbell revelled in his surroundings at Easter Road, being played out wide or in behind Steven Thompson. He continually swapped positions with Paul McGowan and if we do that again tomorrow it gives us a great chance to go on and build. However, we may veer away from that as it may leave us a bit exposed at the back and Partick's fullbacks love to bomb forward.
You have to feel a bit sorry for Gregg Wylde. He came to us for first team football yet was a sub last week and is likely to be so again tomorrow as it would be a bit silly to change a team that played so well. His chance will come and he has pace to burn, which could be handy in the last half hour or so. We will hopefully have a full bench tomorrow but that's only because the under-20s are back, with Stephane Bahoken, Gary Teale and Kenny McLean all still out. David Barron no longer appears on our injury list but that's sadly because he's left rather than because he's fit.
The media were salivating over Partick Thistle as the campaign kicked off as they managed some good results and put in some impressive displays. However, it's now looking as if they were benefiting from the bounce a lot of teams promoted to the SPL have had, where you surprise a lot of sides and can pick up some handy points early doors. By the time you play them second time around they're a bit more canny and suddenly things get harder. Alan Archibald's side went on a woeful run of form towards the end of 2013 but, worryingly for us, they picked up a bit around the turn of the year.
Like last week's opponents Hibs, Thistle have not had the best of times in front of goal this season. Archibald will be hoping Lyle Taylor can change all that. He's been borrowed from Sheffield United, having only moved south from Falkirk in the summer, and got off to a good start by scoring at Tynecastle and then twice against Ross County. Relying on a player who hadn't played in the top flight before is a bit of a gamble, especially considering some of his misses in last season's Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibs, but his record at Falkirk was good and he deserves his shot. In fairness, before he came Partick did have a decent striker in the shape of Kris Doolan, his tally of seven goals so far not bad for a newly promoted side. The problem was no one else was chipping in. Thistle fans are keen to see the back of former Saint John Baird and he could be loaned out this month. I'd have liked to see us move for Kallum Higginbotham in the summer but he has only managed two so far (typically one of them coming against us).
Worryingly for Thistle, Isaac Osbourne is out injured at the moment. It was a surprise when the Jags managed to sign him in the summer after he left Aberdeen - especially as he was supposed to be heading back to England - and he'd done a good job in the holding role. However he and Sean Walsh are both out, while Mark Kerr doesn't seem to be particularly well liked by the Firhill faithful. Still, Gary Fraser is back after signing permanently from Bolton, while Steven Lawless, Stuart Bannigan and James Craigen have all coped fairly well with the step up to the top flight. Christie Elliot has found game time a bit limited along with Ross Forbes - although he did score the winner the last time Thistle came to Paisley. To boost the midfield numbers Archibald re-signed Chris Erskine on loan this week - the midfielder having followed Jackie McNamara to Dundee United in the summer.
Partick's defence has been as bad as ours over the course of the season - which considering our results at the start of the campaign and in recent months is an impressive achievement! In a bid to fix that they've signed a defender - from ourselves! Lee Mair will be back in Paisley little more than a week after he left and he'll probably get a good reception from the fans, some of whom don't think he should have been allowed to leave in the first place. He could be lining up in front of another former Saint in Paul Gallacher, who played instead of the impressive Scott Fox in the last two games. Their experience should help settle things down at the back with Conrad Balatoni likely to play and Gabriel Piccolo and Aaron Muirhead left on the bench. Fullbacks Stephen O'Donnell and Aaron Taylor-Sinclair are solid at the back but also like to bomb forward, which is a bit of a worry for us.
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