Friday 9th September, 2016 at 2:03pm
As Thistle prepare for another tough Ladbrokes Premiership clash with St Johnstone, manager Alan Archibald spoke to ptfc.co.uk after the final training session on Friday afternoon.
“It’s been a good international break but everyone is desperate to get back to playing games. The mood in the camp has been positive and we’re all focussed on the St Johnstone game tomorrow afternoon.
“We know it will be another tough game. Tommy Wright has done a fantastic job with St Johnstone, winning them the Scottish Cup a couple of seasons ago and his sides are always finishing in the top six which is all credit to him and his coaching staff. They are the best of the rest and the benchmark for the rest of the teams.”
Thistle commanded an impressive record against St Johnstone last season, winning all three clashes against the Perth side, something which gives the Jags manager confidence.
“We won all three games against St Johnstone last season, scoring some spectacular goals in the process. We became their bogey side last season and it’s something we will be looking to carry into tomorrow’s fixture.
“That counts for nothing tomorrow, they’ve brought in some new additions, as have we, and it will be another difficult game for us. They are always difficult to beat and have a number of good creative players which we will have to be wary of tomorrow.”
During the closing days of the transfer window Alan added to his squad by bringing in Adam Barton, a versatile player from Portsmouth.
“Adam has been training with the squad for the full week and it’s been a good week for him to get to know his new teammates. He’s a very versatile player who can play in a number of positions. We were delighted to get him in.
“When he was younger he played central midfield, but last season he played for Portsmouth in central defence. Portsmouth are like us in that they like to play the ball out from the back so Adam should settle instantly into our style of play and we’ll use him in both positions on the park”
Finally, the gaffer brought us up to date with his team news for tomorrow’s game.
“It’s only the long term injuries that are missing which is great. The international break gave everyone who was carrying a niggle to recover from it and get ready for the run of games ahead. Gary Fraser has started to be involved in training with the first team, but we’ll be taking it slowly with him to make sure he doesn’t suffer any setbacks.”
