Tuesday 25th August, 2015 at 2:20pm
Tuesday night sees Alan Archibald’s side take on Falkirk in the Scottish League Cup second round. Falkirk may be a Championship outfit but Archie won’t be taking anything for granted as he prepares his squad for a tough match.
“I think Falkirk are probably the best quality unseeded side in the draw so it will be a tough tie and we know that. We played them in pre-season so we have a good idea what they’re about and we know a few of their players from their time at Firhill. Mark Kerr, Aaron Muirhead and John Baird have all been Thistle players since I’ve been manager so we know exactly what to expect from them.
“Falkirk have a big squad and I have no doubt that they’re are a Premiership side in the making. Having said that, we’re at home in front of, what will hopefully be, a decent crowd so we have to fancy our chances.”
Archibald knows his side have a lot to make up after Saturday’s sub-par performance against Hearts but he also knows that The Bairns will be no pushovers.
“We weren’t good enough against Hearts, we know that. Tuesday night gives us a chance to get away from the Premiership and get our first win of the season under our belts. It certainly won’t be easy though, Peter Houston has assembled a very good squad at Falkirk and they will definitely give us a tough game. They’ll have a strong squad this season and we’re expecting a tough, tough game.”
With three games in eight days Alan will need to utilise his squad to the full but he does have a number of selection difficulties for the League Cup tie.
“Bannigan is suspended and Welsh and Pogba are both doubts. Pogba is still feeling his hamstring and we don’t want to rush him back, he hasn’t had a pre-season so we just need to take care of him a bit. Welsh has actually picked up a knock on his toe, nothing serious but it puts him in doubt for this game. It’s great to have Sean signed up again and he has already proved how good a player he can be for us. I just hope he keeps himself fit and keeps performing as we know he can.”
