Let’s get ready to rumble ....in the relegation dogfight!

Let’s get ready to rumble ....in the relegation dogfight!

Thistle face off against both the top and bottom teams of the league this week, as it is make or break in the club’s bid to pull off ‘The Great Escape’.

In their last home game of the season, Largs face basement boys Thorniewood on Saturday, 2pm kick-off, before travelling to Glasgow to face leaders Pollok at Newlandsfield Park on Wednesday, 7pm kick-off.

And the stakes couldn’t be higher as Largs need victories with four games to go. Thistle are sitting in fourth bottom spot, still a precarious position, and wins are now essential to give Largs any chance of beating the drop.

Largs gaffer Bryan Slavin said: “It is blood and thunder in both games - Thorniewood are battling for their lives, as we are, and Pollok are looking for the points to win the title.

“Thorniewood and Pollok may be two completely different games, but to me, they are exactly the same.

“I am expecting Thorniewood to be a difficult game, I expect it to be similar to the Yoker and Shettleston ties where we had to work hard to break them down. It could be a tight battle until we get the breakthrough - it could take a while.” And Largs may have an ever so slight advantage over Pollok in midweek, as the city giants have to play on Saturday AND Monday before facing Thistle on the Wednesday.

Bryan said: “It is all about mental fitness, and even if you are rotating players, it is mentally tiring having to do to it all again a few days later. Pollok are playing their third game in five or six days, and that might help us a bit.” Reflecting on the Ardeer victory, Stuart Davidson said: “It was like a morgue afterwards in the dressing room - the players were raging with themselves. I don’t know if a wee bit of complaceny set in - certainly the performance was not up there with past performances, and the game was too open for our liking, but we got the three points and that is all that matters at this stage.

“We are confident we can get something in every game we play, and even in our cup game against Beith we were unlucky not to win. I think we can take points off anybody.” Largs face Cumbernauld away on Saturday 10 May, and their final fixture is against Thorniewood away, on a date still to be confirmed.