TALKING JAGS Spittal feels he’s on to a winner at Firhill after starting on front foot
IT WASN’T so long ago that Blair Spittal was being linked with a seven-figure transfer south of the border, so he could be forgiven for being a little bitter about the way things worked out for him at Dundee United.
The million-pound move to Hull City that was speculated about in the media never did come to fruition, and in a matter of months, he was plying his trade in the Scottish Championship rather than its more affluent English equivalent.
A little over a year later the Tannadice club failed to offer the player a contract after his previous deal had expired until late in the day – too late, in fact, as the player’s mind was already made up to leave.
That blunder is being magnified by the week, with the attacker immediately finding his feet at Partick Thistle as well as the way to goal, hitting the net six times in just nine appearances for the Jags so far.
At 21, he feels as though he is coming of age and is ready to add a consistency to his game that has been lacking thus far. And what’s more, he feels he is in the perfect place to do just that.
“I’m delighted with the start I’ve made,” said Spittal.
“When I joined, the manager said he saw goals in my game, and thankfully they are going in just now.
“I think consistency is now the thing I need to add to my game, and there are signs that I’m doing that. Even when I am not scoring goals, I feel as if I am playing well, so hopefully I can keep up the good form.
“I see myself as a forwardthinking player. Throughout my career I’ve moved about a lot between positions, and I don’t mind that, but I’m at an age now where I need to be playing in a position and making it my own.
“I seem to be getting the chance to do that at Thistle, and I’m really enjoying it.”
THE freedom he is currently feeling to express himself on the field is coming from two main sources, his manager Alan Archibald and the special atmosphere around the club that he has revelled in since his arrival in Maryhill.
And he admits that being happier off the field is helping him produce his best form on it.
“Everything comes down to how much I’m enjoying it,” he said. “I’m just enjoying being here.
“I’m closer to my family, so I’ve got all my family and friends around about me and I’m really just loving life at the moment.
“The poor start in terms of results hasn’t affected the boys at all. The place is still great to be around every day.
“If performances hadn’t been good then it might be a bit different, but I think there are a lot of encouraging signs, especially in the last three performances.
“The manager believes in me too and is giving me that run in my preferred position, so that can only help.
“The only thing bothering me is where we are in the table, and my main focus is on making sure we climb the standings as soon as we can.
“From the performances against Rangers and Hearts, I’m more than confident we will be able to do that.”
Next up for Thistle is Saturday’s trip to Motherwell, a match that Spittal knows presents a tough challenge in both a footballing and a physical sense.
Diminutive of stature he may be, but he is sure that his teammates can win the physical battle and allow the attacking players like him to go on and provide the ammunition for victory.
“We’ve got to go into the game against Motherwell at the weekend,” he said.
“Motherwell have been on a good run, but I think we can handle their approach. We’ve got big, strong players too, so we’ll be ready for it come Saturday.” STEPHEN ROBINSON has revealed his Motherwell players have their sights sets on becoming club cup legends.
The Steelmen overran Aberdeen last week to set up a Betfred Cup semifinal date with Rangers next month.
Despite not having won a trophy since 1991 when they triumphed in the Scottish Cup, Well boss Robinson insists there is no trepidation about what lies ahead.
And with potentially just 180 minutes standing between his players and becoming just the second group from the Fir Park club to hoist the League Cup aloft, the Northern Irishman said: “It would be a fantastic achievement for us.
“To get to where we are at the moment has been very good. But we’re not there to make up numbers. We believe we can get something out of the game [with Rangers] and get into the final.
“It’s a one-off game and we have absolutely nothing to fear.
“The incentive is that it’s not been done for a long, long time. Players can go and make themselves legends in the club’s eyes so it’s a great incentive for the boys.”
Winning a trophy would be an incredible achievement for a club that was still staring at relegation until the second last game last season.
Now sitting comfortably in the top six with a Hampden date on the horizon, many have been surprised at Motherwell’s lofty perch. But has Robinson had to readjust his expectations?
He laughed: “Not outwardly, no! First and foremost the objective of this club is to stay up. We have a fan base of around 3000 or 4000 fans and one of the lowest budgets in the league so we need to make sure we stay there, then we will look up.
“Inside the dressingroom there is a lot of belief and a lot of camaraderie. We will keep that within the dressing-room and hopefully surprise people.”
Achieving success in the cup and in the league will be influenced undoubtedly by star striker Louis Moult.
Robinson said he was no closer to signing fresh terms to keep him at the club beyond the summer, but he is insistent there is no necessity for the club to part with their star asset at a bargain price.
“I’ve stated Louis will definitely be here until the end of the season,” Robinson said. “With what we would lose out of a deal it doesn’t really make sense.
“We don’t get to reinvest it and we end up losing close to 70 per cent of the deal to previous people at the club [repaying loans to Les Hutchison]. It makes no sense to sell someone as good as Louis.
“If we knew we’d pay £50,000 for him and get 40-odd goals we’d have snapped your hand off.
“Staying up is worth £1 million and each time we climb a place it’s worth more.
“So hopefully he’ll be here until the end of the season even if we can’t agree anything in between times for a longer period.”