LIAM LINDSAY, the Partick Thistle defender, is determined to repay manager Alan Archibald for having faith in him this season and prove he is worth another campaign at Firhill.
The defender impressed during Thistle's summer schedule and helped Archibald’s side to a point in their Ladbrokes Premiership opener against Hamilton last weekend.
After seeing stopper Conrad Balatoni quit the club at the end of the campaign, Archibald opted to give Lindsay a first-team berth as he challenges Freddy Frans and Dan Seaborne for a starting jersey.
And the 19-year-old is eager to prove his boss has made the right call as he prepares for another Premiership outing against Celtic at Firhill tomorrow.
“It has been the best pre-season of my career," Lindsay said. "I have been able to push myself into the team and the result last weekend, under the circumstances, was another positive.
“This is the final year of my contract, so I knew I had to kick on, get myself in the team and play as much as I could this season. The manager has had faith in me and given me a chance, so hopefully now I can repay him with my performances on the park.
"It has been great working with the manager and Scott because they are two very experienced defenders and they have really helped me.
“I want to play as much as I can, do my bit for the team and hopefully get a new contract here. It is a chance for me to hopefully make that place in the team my own, so I need to take it over the next few weeks.”
With Seaborne still recovering from injury, Lindsay was handed a start for the Premiership curtain-raiser against Hamilton at New Douglas Park last weekend.
He was joined less than half an hour into the match by fellow-Firhill youth graduate Jack Hendry after Frans saw red for picking up two bookings. And Lindsay was pleased to have a familiar face alongside him at the heart of the Partick rearguard as they battled their way to a goalless draw in Lanarkshire.
“We have played Under-20s last year in the first half of the season before I went on loan to Airdrie," he said. “We know each other well and know our strengths and weaknesses, so I was comfortable playing alongside him. It helped that we had played together before.
“Jack is a really good player and I thought the two of us did well. It was a difficult game, but we got a good point in the end.”
Having stifled Hamilton on the opening weekend, Thistle now face a far different test when they host Ronny Deila’s Scottish champions tomorrow. Celtic kicked off their campaign with a comfortable win over Ross County seven days ago and will arrive at Firhill with a spring in their step after their European exploits in midweek, but Lindsay is determined to rise to the challenge and thrive on derby day in Glasgow.
“It is a massive game for us and it would be great to play," Lindsay said. "I am confident that if I play I will do well and hopefully I can help the team keep another clean sheet and get more points on the board.
“Celtic have a higher standard of player, so everything will be quicker and at a higher tempo so it will be a good test for me. I watch them all the time, I grew up in a Celtic family, so I have seen them through the years.
“My mum and dad are actually on holiday, so it will probably be my uncles and cousins that will come and watch. They will be Thistle fans on the day, though! Hopefully we can get a good result and get our first win."
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