Match Preview
Tomorrow, 70 days after season 2009-2010 finished with a last minute goal from Kris Doolan and a 1-0 win against Queen of the South, Thistle return to action albeit in nothing more taxing than a bounce match with Queen’s Park in the unlikely surrounds of St Andrews.
Pre-season matches come with the standard caveat of not placing any significance on the outcome of them but they represent an important part of preparation for the season ahead all the same. Preparation which, as manager Ian McCall revealed to www.ptfc.co.uk , has been going well.
“This pre-season I think I have worked the players as hard as I have worked any set of players. The response from them I have to say has been absolutely first class. They’ve done everything that has been asked of them and have stood up well to the physical side of it all.”
“It will be good though to get our first little taste of action tomorrow. During pre-season training you expect to pick up a few niggles here and there and tomorrow, in addition to Alan Archibald and Jackie McNamara, Willie Kinniburgh, John Robertson and Chris Erskine will all sit the game out after picking up very slight knocks. I must stress though that their injuries aren’t in the least bit serious and they will, at most, miss about a week.”
“Everyone else is fit and will be making the trip to Fife. One really positive thing to have emerged from pre-season training has been the performances from some of the younger players. Ryan MacBeth and Ross McGeough, for example, have really looked like first team squad members. Ross I felt was our best player at training yesterday. Stuart Bannigan and Jamie Campbell, who has joined in with some of the things that the first team have been doing, have also done well.”
To finish off the manager hinted at the prospect of some transfer activity.
“We will be including a trialist in the side to play Queen’s Park and I’m hoping to do a bit of business with that player in the not too distant future. I’m hopeful too of tying up a deal with Bryn Halliwell shortly while keeping an eye on some other things as well.”
