AL’S WINTER STORMERS
ALAN ARCHIBALD hopes history can repeat itself as Partick Thistle jetted off for a week-long winter training camp in Marbella.
Last January the Jags boss took his men to La Manga for a similar training stint.
It turned out to be a shrewd move as it proved to be a catalyst for Partick’s first top-six finish.
Thistle sit second bottom in the Premiership table six points behind Kilmarnock in sixth place.
Archie, however, admits top-flight survival rather than a top-half finish is the main target in the second part of the season.
He said: “Coming away for a winter break served us well last season. It let us focus as a group.
“We spoke in-depth about what we wanted to achieve in the second half. Hopefully that will stand us in good stead this time.
“Our aim was to be in and around the pack in the bottom six when it came to the New Year. We are still in the pack and we have given ourselves a good chance of getting out of the situation we are in.
“We believe we can get ourselves out of trouble. Just escaping and getting to safety is our priority for the second half of the campaign.”
Archibald insists the facilities and the weather in Marbella beats scrambling around for a place to train in the freezing cold of Glasgow.
He said: “A week in sunnier climes guarantees us a full week’s training and removes any uncertainty of where we might be training on any given day.
“Players also feel better training in good weather. We will be putting in the hard yards and the players will be doing double sessions.”