Partick Thistle Football Club

A little earlier today we brought you here on www.ptfc.co.uk the confirmed news that Marc Twaddle had left to join Falkirk and that Patrick Boyle and Jim Hamilton had been added the Thistle squad.

After a hectic few hours of transfer activity we managed to draw breath and catch up with manager Ian McCall for his thoughts on the day's business.

"I think Marc became a little restless with all the speculation that was surrounding him and it became clear that he wasn't going to sign an extension to his contract. At that point I got back in contact with Falkirk and gave them an idea of the kind of deal that we would accept for Marc. Following discussions between myself, Allan Cowan and Tom Hughes we all felt that this was the best deal for Partick Thistle. That's about £200,000 worth of transfer fees that we have brought in during the course of the summer which for teams at our level is virtually unheard of. Ultimately though we want to be in a position where we aren't bringing players on and then selling them but keeping them at the Club."

"While sorry to see Marc go I am also happy for him. He is a smashing lad who was excellent on the pitch and in the dressing room and he leaves Firhill with the best wishes of all of us."

"One thing that I must be clear about we wouldn't have done the deal for Marc with Falkirk if we hadn't a replacement lined up. Indeed Marc's move to Falkirk wasn't concluded until we had signed that replacement.  I'm absolutely delighted, therefore, to have signed Patrick Boyle, who I think is every bit as good if not better than Marc Twaddle, on a two year deal. Patrick is a left back or left wing back that I first became aware of when he was at Everton. He perhaps lost his way a little, not unlike a certain Gary Harkins, while at Everton. When he was released by Everton he was let down with a proposed move and joined Dumbarton at the turn of the year. Such was his form with Dumbarton in the latter half of last season that Mark McGhee was about to sign him while he was still manager at Motherwell."

"I'm also delighted to have brought Jim Hamilton to Firhill. Jim underwent a minor operation on his knee, very similar to the one that Alan Archibald had, during the summer but he came through a medical today with no problems at all. Jim is, perhaps, in the veteran stage of his career but is exactly the different type of striker, a target man, that we have been missing for some time. His signing certainly gives us a number of different options up front and I'm sure the likes of Liam Buchanan and Kris Doolan will benefit from his presence."

"It has been a hectic time since the end of last season with a number of players coming and going from Firhill. Over the piece I think we should be happy with the business that we have done and the transfer money that has been brought in remains pretty much untouched. We are naturally sorry to lose the likes of Gary Harkins and Marc Twaddle but it has been, I think, a case of replacing like with like. We got substantial money for Gary Harkins and brought in Bryan Hodge for free. We got money for Marc Twaddle and signed Patrick Boyle, again with no transfer fee involved. Even when Simon Storey left we brought in a replacement in Martyn Corrigan."

"I would like to think that this isn't the end of our transfer activity. I've a midfielder lined up to bring in on loan around October and November time and I would still like to add a wide player and another striker to the squad. If I can bring in these players then I think that would be us pretty much set for the season ahead."