Friday 8th January, 2021 at 4:45pm
There will be a 9am pitch inspection held at Firhill on matchday ahead of our Scottish Cup tie with Cowdenbeath. We will keep supporters updated of the outcome of the inspection when it is confirmed.
Partick Thistle enter this season’s iteration of the Scottish Cup as they welcome Cowdenbeath to Maryhill. The Jags last played on Boxing Day in a goalless draw against Falkirk with the visitors in an identical position with a fortnight since their last fixture, a 2-0 win over Wick Academy in the last round of the competition. Thistle boss Ian McCall spoke to ptfc.co.uk ahead of the tie, beginning by discussing how the weather has affected his team’s preparations:
“It’s been tough in the last two weeks in particular. The cold is not good for the pitches and, especially with the injuries we’ve got, that makes things difficult. The forecast isn’t great for the next couple of night either and it does put games in doubt right across the country. We’ve already felt that with the Clyde game going off but we’ve just kept working as hard as possible in training because we can’t dictate the weather.”
The Scottish Cup is a competition which brings excitement every year and Ian says it’s one that lots of players look forward to.
“It’s a great competition and I know a lot of players really look forward to playing in it. It’s definitely got a bit of a different feel to the league and although it’s not going to be the same with no fans in the ground, it’ll still be a good occasion. Everyone loves a cup run and we’re aiming to go on one.”
Our cup opposition, Cowdenbeath, sit eighth in League Two at the moment but Ian knows any team can cause an upset in a one-off game.
“Form goes out the window to an extent in the cup. I remember a couple of years ago, my Ayr team who were first or second in the Championship lost 1-0 to Auchinleck Talbot so you can’t take anything for granted. Cowdenbeath will see this as a big opportunity so we need to be at our best.”
The manager then gave us an update on injuries ahead of the Blue Brazil’s visit.
“Brian Graham and Ryan Williamson are still struggling and Ross Docherty is going to see a specialist to find out more about the injury he picked up on Boxing Day. Tam O’Ware is getting close and Blair Spittal has been back in full training so there is some positive news as well.”
McCall then gave us an insight into how that might affect his January business.
“With all the injuries, it’s leaving us with a small squad at the moment so we are active in the transfer market and we may have to do more business than we’d intended. Gerry and I are working on deals but January is always a tough window so we’ll just have to see what we can get over the line.”
More exclusive preview interviews with Thistle assistant manager Alan Archibald and Blair Spottal are now available for JagZone subscribers to watch – log in to view.
We’re streaming our clash with Cowdenbeath. A pay-per-view pass costs just £10 for this match. Click here to purchase your pay-per-view pass.
We’ll also have extended highlights and a full game replay of the match on JagZone following the game.
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