I WANT FANS TO GET TASTE OF HAMPDEN
BLAIR SPITTAL insists booking a trip to Hampden with Partick Thistle can help banish their Championship blues.
The Jags midfielder believes the Scottish Cup quarter-final clash with Hearts on Monday is the ideal opportunity to make a long overdue visit to Mount Florida for a club sitting bottom of the table.
After making a habit of National Stadium occasions with old club Dundee United, the 23-year-old is determined to overcome the odds against the Jambos.
He said: “This is a big opportunity to take this club to Hampden, which hasn’t happened since 2002, so it’s exciting for us.
“It’s something I’ve experienced before but I want to bring it here. I want to be part of the team that takes this club to Hampden.
“I wasn’t in United’s Scottish Cup Final team in 2014 but we got to the League Cup Final the season after and were beaten by Celtic 2-0.
“When you go on a cup run it gives everyone a lift. It’s a bit of a distraction but it’s more about the opportunity to go and take the club to the National Stadium.”
Hearts arrive at Firhill on the back of a last-minute loss to Celtic and Thistle’s recent revival has been derailed by back-to- BY GORDON PARKS back defeats but Spittal believes neither result will have a bearing on this cup clash.
He said: “Hearts are a massive club and the fans they bring will make it a good atmosphere on Monday, But we need to make sure we impose ourselves on the game and try to stifle the atmosphere they bring.
“I don’t think the nature of their loss against Celtic will have any bearing on our game. They’ll be looking at us in the same way as we’re coming into this tie on the back of a defeat as well.
“But you need to go in optimistically and recognise that it’s a big exciting opportunity for us. Monday is going to be massive and these are the games you look forward to.” Defeats to both Ross County and Dunfermline have been a setback but Spittal is adamant this will only spur them on.
He said: “As a group of players you can’t let defeats affect you because once the game is over and done with you can’t do anything about it.
“We know it’s not been good enough but we need to be as positive as we can and make sure we come out on top.
“We want to go one better and get ourselves and the fans there.”