GIVE IT A REST
Archie desperate for cup run to end reminders of ‘71 icons
THE WILLIAM Hill Scottish Cup may be the talk of the town this weekend but Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald wishes everybody would stop harping on about it.
The Jags travel to Perth tomorrow and will scrap it out with St Johnstone for a place in the quarter-finals.
Thistle last won the Scottish Cup back in 1921 and famously captured the League Cup with a rousing win over Celtic in the 1971 final.
Since those glory years, there’s not been much to stir the senses on the cup trail although the Firhill club did reach the final of the Ramsdens Cup in 2013 only to lose out to Queen of the South in a penalty shootout at Almondvale.
The road to Hampden, mean- while, is riddled with pitfalls but Archibald is hoping Thistle can continue their journey this weekend as the Jags look to serve up a cup of good cheer.
He said: “It’s a long time since we had a cup success but every year we get this thrown at us.
“The players, staff, everybody is desperate for a cup run and so are the fans as well. We want to do something about it.
“It’s a great relief away from the pressures of the league so I think all the players look forward to it. It annoys me when people keep bringing it up. I think it annoys everybody the longer it goes on.
“We had a wee taste of it in the Ramsdens Cup in terms of the experience of just getting to a final.
“You could see what it meant to the fans that day because they turned out in massive numbers. That gave us a little taste of what it would be like if we got a decent Scottish Cup run.”
THISTLE are out for revenge in Perth having lost to St Johnstone on league duty at Firhill last week.
The Saints won the Scottish Cup in 2014 and Archibald reckons Thistle should use that as inspiration as they look to conjure their own silver lining.
He added: “Other provincial clubs have shown it can be done. A few have won it and a few others have had really good runs, so it’s irritating that we’ve not been part of that.
“The team we’ll be playing are an example. Not only did d St Johnstone win thee cCup they were renowned nowned for good cup p runs all the time me stretching back ck to when Derek rek McInnes was s ini n charge. We’de’d love to do thatat too.”
Archibald played in a Scottish Cup final himself for Dundee United in 2005 while his current squad at Thistle includes Danny Devine, who was a cup winner with Inverness two years ago. Archibald said: “I’ve been involved in one before and it’s a great experience. I think every player craves an experience like that. We’ve a few in the dressing room who have been involved before. “Guys like Danny know what it’s about. I hope he’ll be telling theth boys about his cup m memories because he he’ll have nothing but g good things to say. “The “There’s no reason why we can’t emulate teams likel St Johnston stone and Inverne ness by winning it. You just need th the belief and t that bit of luck o on the day.”