Can Largs upset the odds and beat the McBookie.com Premier League leaders Rob Roy this Saturday at Barrfields?

It is another huge game, and after nearly toppling the Kirkintilloch side on the opening day of the season, Largs are heading into the game with confidence after a recent resurgence.

There is no doubt that Thistle are going to have to dig deep into their resources, with only seven league games to go, and picking up points are essential at this stage of the season.

In August, Largs were leading ten men Rob Roy 2-1, but the opposition battled back to win 3-2 in the last ten minutes.

Assistant boss Kevin Struthers mused: "Would it have been different if we had won 2-1 that day? You just don't know - it could have been a springboard, but it is history now. 

"It is a cut throat league. To come up against guys with that experience and quality, we will just have to take it as it comes, and give it our best shot."

Reflecting on the Beith game, Kevin said: "We know that they are a good side - we won't come up against many sides better than that - you just need to see some of the substitutes they were coming on. However, I don't think Beith created much that was clear-cut, but neither did we.

"We can take a bit of credit as a vastly experienced Beith came here and only won 1-0, and it took a wee deflection off Alan Gilbride, and we now dust ourselves down and get on with it next week."

Thistle coach Steven Swift said: "At 1-0, we were always in the game, but we never really created any chances. Beith are physical and energetic in key areas, and have great physicality about them, You can only commend our boys for the effort - we were a bit short for quality in certain areas but we can't fault the boys for effort.

"After the goal, we had plenty of time to get back into the game, but we never really threatened. We maybe made a few bad decisions, the like of Alec McWatters got into some good positions. Beith will say they should have taken their chances to kill the game, and it was always in the balance to get a point, but we just have to push on."

Looking forward to the challenges to come, Steven said:"We know we have Beith again, Auchinleck twice, Glenafton twice, Kilbirnie, and Rob Roy this Saturday. We are up against it, and we just want to make a good fight of it, and scrape it towards the end.

"It is a tough league, nothing is easy. No team you can say you can go and win, you don't have a given right to win any game in this league, it is going to be tough."

An interested spectator at the Beith game was former 'Theesel' boss Bryan Slavin. He said: "Beith won the Scottish Cup last year, that is the standard, Largs are not a million miles away from it, and if they keep believing in themselves, Largs can stay up, but they need to take their chances."

* Congratulations to the Largs Thistle 200 Club winner for Decemeber who was John Boyd of Largs who wins the £500 prize.