It doesn’t matter how they go in the net as long as they get in there eventually. Steven Lawless earned Partick Thistle’s goal of the season accolade a couple of years ago for a barnstorming batter from 35 yards against St Johnstone but the 26-year-old would take the hum-drum over a howitzer when the two sides meet again today at Firhill.
“I’d be happy with a goal from a penalty if I’m honest just to get a result,” said Lawless.
Thistle remain bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership but only on goal difference after a profitable seven days in which they earned a first league win of the season at home to Dundee last Saturday and battled to a draw on the perilous plastic pitch at Hamilton on Tuesday.
“It’s not been a bad week and if we can get a win against St Johnstone then it would make it an even better one,” he added. “No one gets relegated in October and we would rather be in this position now than the end of the season. You need big characters and it is easy for players to hide and think they have done enough. Everyone makes mistake but it is about how they respond to that and I think we have those big characters here. Most of us have been through this before.”
Thistle swept to a 3-0 win over St Johnstone in the Betfred Cup at the start of the current campaign but narrowly lost the first league encounter between the two sides in Perth. The Saints travel to Maryhill in the midst of a toiling run which has left them without a win in four. They haven’t scored in that time either.
It doesn’t take much to turn fortunes around, though, and Lawless is well aware of the test Tommy Wright’s side will pose.
“If you’re doing well against St Johnstone you’re going to be up the table because they are always a tough team to play against,” he said. “They provide a benchmark for us. Season after season they do it in the top six when they are not expected to do it. They are very good at what they do and they know how to get results. We need to aim to do that.”
Having weather something of an early season storm, Lawless is looking to repay the patience and loyalty of the Thistle fans who continued to back both the manager, Alan Archibald, and the players during a trying time
“The players have a big responsibility, especially at home,” he said. “It just takes a tackle or something to give the fans a lift. We need to keep doing that at home. If we can get the crowd behind us right away it gives us a big boost and makes it a hard atmosphere for other teams to come to. With the gaffer being here for so long, he gets a lot of support from the fans. That happens when you’re a club legend. That goes in his favour. It could be quick for fans to turn on us but even last weekend, when we were 1-0 down, you wouldn’t have known that as they stayed behind us. Hopefully it’s the same on Saturday.
“Alan tries to keep the pressure away from the players as much as he can. It will have an effect on him, it’s his job. But he tries to hide that, he’s good at that. He’s always the same guy in training. In any walk of life, if your job is on the line, there’s pressure. It’s down to the players. There’s only so much the manager can do until the Saturday. It must take a toll but hopefully the last couple of games have helped him out a bit.”
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