‘Man the barricades!’ ... Largs Thistle boss Bryan Slavin has led the war cry that has set the tone for the rest of the season.

Thistle head to Victoria Park for a 2pm kick-off in an absolutely crucial match for bottom of the table Thistle who need to claw back points if they want to avoid the relegation trapdoor - with four teams going down from the Stagecoach First Division.

Bryan said: “Now it becomes cut-throat - we need to be ruthless and we know what needs to be done. We are now on a war footing from now until the end of the season, man the barricades and get the sandbags out, it is now time to dig in!” “It is a cliche which is often rolled out but this Saturday’s match against Irvine Vics is a cup final - it is a six pointer, and it is massive.

“Victory over Irvine Vics on Saturday drags them right into the mix with us, and we have got games in hand to them - even a draw and they won’t pull away. I would normally say it is a must win - we are not quite at that stage yet - but it is a must not lose - it is absolutely imperative that we get at least a point.

“We are still going to be going there with our first foot forward and looking to win the game. Vics are a decent side, especially at home, and it is going to be a difficult game but I am confident that we can get a result.

“Now we have had a few games under our belt, we are getting a fair handle on most of the squad who have now had playing time, so some more pieces of the jigsaw are now in place, and that makes us realise what is missing. I think we are lacking a bit of know how in terms of grinding out a result - how to close ourselves down and not give away goals.

Reflecting on the Beith cup defeat, Bryan said: “We went and played for half an hour against Beith and it was very equal - but we were not secure enough from their counter attacks, and it was individual mistakes which cost us.” “I was seriously p***** off after the game - but it kind of clarified a lot of the things that we are missing and what we are needed at this point. I like to think there is a usefulness in every situation.” And now urgent action is required to address Thistle’s deficiencies as they are heading into the final few months of the league season.

Bryan said: “That is three games and we have not scored any goals - we have had enough games to give the boys a chance and it is now time to take some drastic action - we are working on rectifying that literally as we speak and there is some work going on behind the scenes and we need to freshen things up. It has been a recurring theme this season and we are looking at ways of addressing that.” Defender Creag Little went to hospital to get his knee injury assessed, and one of his ligaments has been damaged. Bryan explained: “It could be anything from a strain to a tear, but it is not looking great just now - we have to wait for the diagnosis from the physio - it is a right sickener for us to lose Craig.” Thistle are hoping to sign a centre-half in time for Saturday’s game, and have also prioritised signing a striker, after missing out on Morton forward Thomas Orr, after the Cappielow club initially offered the services of the striker to the Barrfields side.

Bryan said: “That has gone to the wall unfortunately. They approached us to get him in but have now pulled the idea. We will have to look at other options now that that has fell through, and I am currently trying to get an experienced centre half to play.” Thistle forward Willie McClure has been suspended for three games after his dismissal against Beith. The club have confirmed that they won’t be appealing the decision.

“That has narrowed our options,” conceded Bryan, “but bringing in a new striker remains a priority. It is now time for action, and we are telling the boys nothing complicated, and keeping it simple - and want to get the ball forward and force mistakes from our opponents, and keep it tight at the back.”