Friday 5th April, 2019 at 3:49pm
Thistle head back to the Energy Check Stadium at Firhill for the visit of Dunfermline Athletic tomorrow afternoon as Gary Caldwell’s side look to build on last week’s impressive victory against Greenock Morton.
With three points, and a clean sheet, picked up last Saturday afternoon, it has been a buoyant training pitch this week as preparations continue for the match against the Pars.
Speaking to ptfc.co.uk, manager Gary Caldwell said:
“The team has been fantastic this week. The atmosphere around the camp has been good and the training has been of a very high energy. We can’t wait until 3pm on Saturday afternoon to get back on the pitch and hopefully replicate what was a good performance against Morton last week.”
Every player wearing red and yellow last weekend against Greenock Morton could have been proud of their performance and the gaffer is looking for that to continue heading into tomorrow’s game.
“It’s never going to be easy in this league. We had to defend at times last week but everyone worked really hard in the team to get in us into the lead and then to defend it. Conor Hazard made big saves at crucial times and he was just one of fourteen players who contributed to the performance and the result last weekend.
“The two strikers were the catalyst to how we performed. They held the ball up and brought a big threat to our team. We’ve got a fantastic array of talent and competition in the attacking zones. Lewis Mansell and Scott McDonald had been doing well and then we brought Kris in last week and he popped up with two goals. It’s important that everyone keeps working hard on the training pitch to try and get into the team and when they get the chance, they have to do the business by scoring goals.”
With teams around Thistle playing each other over the course of the weekend Gary knows that is a great incentive for three points which will see the side climb the table.
“We have to keep winning games to progress up the table and keep looking up the table rather than down. From the beginning of January we’ve focused on the teams above us and been positive to try and win games to progress up the table.
“This league is extremely tight. There is competition throughout the division and every team will have something to play for right until the final weekend of the season.”
Finally the gaffer rounded off by updating us on team news.
“Andrew McCarthy is still struggling with injury so he won’t be available. Tam O’Ware is progressing on the grass but still not in contention to get in the squad. Everyone else is fit and ready to go.”
More exclusive preview interviews with Conor Hazard, Jack McMillan and Jags manager, Gary Caldwell, are available to Jagzone subscribers – log in now to see them.
Jagzone members will also be able to watch extended highlights and a full match replay of the game.
Can’t make it to The Energy Check Stadium at Firhill? Jagzone members can listen to live audio commentary of the match. JagZoneLIVE begins at 2:45pm on Saturday.
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Article Copyright © 2019. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and hyperlink to ptfc.co.uk.
