Friday 2nd April, 2021 at 3:54pm
Partick Thistle are back in cup action this weekend as they travel to Tannadice to take on Dundee United. The Jags earned the chance to play the Premiership Tangerines in the 3rd round by beating Cowdenbeath 3-0 at Firhill with Shea Gordon, Zak Rudden and Connor Murray amongst the goals on that occasion. Thistle midfielder Stuart Bannigan spoke to ptfc.co.uk ahead of the trip to the City of Discovery:
“It’s always exciting to play in the cup and we’re really looking forward to the game. It was a bit strange in that we knew who we’d have if we beat Cowdenbeath beforehand but we did the business in that game and now have a good chance to go and test ourselves against top flight team and try to get through to the next round.”
The league campaign is the main priority for the Jags but Bannigan still hopes Thistle can produce a run in the cup to compliment their efforts in League One.
“It’s the next game for us and we’ll be giving everything we’ve got to try to get through. Our main focus is still on the league but we want a positive result to get us back on track and this offers a great opportunity to do that before we get back into the league next week.
“Even away from the footballing side of things, getting through to another cup tie could bring in a good amount of money to the club which is particularly important in a season like this so it’s definitely a big game for us.”
Away days in the Scottish Cup usually make for big travelling crowds and Stuart says the team will miss the support of the Jags as all football remains behind-closed-doors.
“We’ve obviously played up at Tannadice quite a few times over the years and we tend to take a good crowd. I can remember a few really good days there and a few not so good ones but our fans always bring a good atmosphere with them. We know that we’ll likely not get fans back in this season but we’re looking forward to when they can come back.”
The Jags go into the cup clash as underdogs, facing a team from two divisions above, but Bannigan believes Thistle shouldn’t play with any fear.
“I think we have to approach the game the same way we always do. We know they’re a good team from the Premiership and they’re doing well in that league but we want to give them a game, not just sit off them so hopefully we can do that.”
The Thistle number eight was one of the nominees for the March McCrea Mortgages Player of the Month award and he’s hoping a continuation of his personal form can help the team put together a streak of wins.
“I’ve just been trying to do the best I can to help us win games. It’s not about my individual performances, it’s about the team but obviously the better I play the better it is for the team so I’m just keeping my head down and working hard. If the manager picks me then I’ll always give my all and I’ll continue to do that.”
More exclusive preview interviews with Mouhamed Niang and Alan Archibald will be available for JagZone subscribers to watch today – log in to view.
JagZone subscribers will be able to tune in to live audio commentary for our fixture against Dundee United – click here to tune in.
The home side are offering a PPV option, priced at £9.99, for Jags fans who wish to watch a livestream of the game – click here for more info.
We’ll have extended highlights and a full game replay of our trip to face Dundee United on JagZone.
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