Spittal: We owe the fans a performance

Friday 6th April, 2018 at 11:45am

After a trying few days for everyone involved with Partick Thistle, it’s time to get back into the action. Kilmarnock visit Maryhill off the back of Thistle’s 4-0 defeat to relegation rivals, Ross County and suddenly with six games to go the Jags need points quickly. Thistle have been left bottom of the table on goal difference and will be doing well to escape that position on Saturday with on-form Killie the visitors. The players know they have a big task on their hands for the rest of the season and ptfc.co.uk caught up with one such player, Blair Spittal, ahead of the weekend’s match.

Blair began by acknowledging that the players need to show much more fight than they did against Ross County if they are to have any chance of staying up this season.

“We know it was unacceptable to play the way we did on Tuesday. It was a huge game for everyone at the club; players, staff and fans but we let ourselves and everyone else down. Had we got a result we would be feeling much better now than we are because no matter what point it is in the season, you don’t want to be in that bottom spot. We owe the fans a performance. A lot of people travelled up on Tuesday in horrible conditions and we didn’t give them what they deserved so we want to go out and right the wrongs of Tuesday night against Killie.”

The match represents Thistle’s second match at home in around a month and a half. Overall, the Jags’ home form has been far superior to their away form and Blair reckons the players will be glad to get back to the Energy Check Stadium at Firhill.

“We know the fans will be expecting improvement and we desperately want to give them something to shout about early on. We need to be positive and avoid getting too down. It gives us a chance to build some momentum going into those split games and we have to make good on these opportunities soon as time is running out.”

The midfielder knows that the Jags come into this game as the underdog but he believes that the team should use that as extra motivation to cause an upset against the league’s form side.

“It’s obviously going to be a tough game but we can’t afford to look at games as anything other than an opportunity for three points. Most people will be thinking it’s a no-brainer that Killie will win but it’s up to us to prove those people wrong. At the end of the day, we’re going to have to prove a lot of people wrong if we’re going to survive; why not start on Saturday?”

Finally, Blair was adamant that the time for defensive play and sitting in has passed for Thistle. He thinks that the side have to be positive and take the game to Killie if they are to pick up any points.

“Although confidence is low, we can build that up slowly by just getting our foot on the ball and moving it. Even if we can just get that opening goal it would do the world of good because we haven’t scored from open play in quite a while. The lads realise that it has become now or never for us and we need to stand up and be counted. There is still a determination in that dressing room but we need to turn that into a positive display.”

Blair and the rest of the Thistle squad will be back on Ladbrokes Premiership duty tomorrow as they take on Steve Clarke’s Killie as discussed by the 22-year old. Kick-off is 15:00 from the Energy Check Stadium at Firhill.

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