THISTLE CAN’T RELY ON FAVOURS, SAYS EDWARDS

AS grim as their situation now is, it has not yet reached the point of desperation. A narrow home defeat to Motherwell on Tuesday night means Partick Thistle’s fate remains unknown and a matter of growing concern to the Firhill faithful. Unlike Ross County, though, Alan Archibald’s men remain masters of their own destiny. That, at least, is no small consolation. Victory over an already safe Dundee side on Saturday would render the Highland side’s result in Perth an irrelevance and condemn them to the drop. Thistle will also travel to Tayside knowing that nothing less than a County win against St Johnstone will give the Dingwall men an ounce of hope. Archibald’s side, however, need no reminding of the perils of relying on favours from others. After weeks of trying to work out the myriad permutations, their mission is now clear. ‘We definitely need to go for the win, as it’s all ifs and buts otherwise,’ conceded midfielder Ryan Edwards. ‘If we draw and County win, then we’re down. So we need to win the game, simple as that. ‘It’s all about what we do at Dens Park and we’ve had good games against Dundee this season. ‘We will use motivation from previous performances to get the three points. We have the players to go and do that. ‘Every game has been a case of: “We need to win”. I’ve been saying that before every game since the split.’ A top-six side last year, Partick’s traditional post-Christmas surge has failed to materialise. An inability to kill teams off has returned to haunt them at the worst time. Saturday would be an opportune moment to answer some pertinent questions. ‘We need to work hard over the next few days and get ready,’ said Edwards. ‘Everyone thrives on that pressure. We’ll have a good away support to push us through and hopefully be in the play-offs. ‘Pressure is a good thing for footballers and I deal with it quite well. In the back of your mind, you’re playing for all of the staff, for a future at the club, for the fans, the youth teams — everyone.’ The one consolation for Jags fans from Tuesday night’s defeat is that their team are still creating chances. At times, the performance belied their lowly league status. If they can replicate that level at Dens Park, with the addition of some cutting edge, there is no reason why they can’t prolong their battle to stay in the Premiership. ‘You see that effort and belief from the whole team, from the players to the staff, but we are the ones who have been playing,’ said Edwards. ‘We still have the belief to get out of the position we are in.’