Thistle boss Sandy MacLean has urged his players to stand up and be counted for the big Scottish Cup tie this Saturday against Sauchie - and wants them to leave the pitch at 4.15pm having given their all.

That was the rally call from the under pressure Largs boss as they face the East Superleague cracks in a 2.30pm kick-off this Saturday.

Largs managed their first win in eight matches against Saltcoats on Saturday in a match which was described as Thistle’s poorest performance in a number of weeks by the manager himself.

But Sandy is hoping for a big display this weekend to match their exploits against Hurlford earlier this season when they knocked out the Scottish Cup champions.

Sandy said: “You just need to look at some of the scores last weekend in the West of Scotland Cup to see the amount of shocks there were, and we are in the second round, although I thought we were poor as we have played for a number of weeks.

“The Scottish Cup is very special and we have done some homework on Sauchie and know what to expect. It is now about being able to cope with what they can bring, and executing our own game plan successfully. The support is going to play a big part. We have stepped up to the plate in the cups, last season against Kilbirnie, and this season in the Ardagh Cup, beating the Scottish Cup holders, and taking Auchinleck Talbot the distance. This is huge for us. I don’t think Sauchie will be particularly put off coming to Largs when they have a member of their squad - Colin Samuel - who has played in the World Cup for Trinidad and Tobago in 2006.” Largs will be missing one of their top defenders in Creag Little who is on holiday this weekend, although Barry McLaughlin should be back after missing Saltcoats due to sickness. Reflecting on the Saltcoats win, Sandy said: “We started well enough and scored the goal, but perhaps naturally after recent weeks, the players got nervy at 1-0. The 2nd goal was key for us. Alan Frizzell made an impact - he is a good young player and when he does that he makes it harder for us to leave him out. After the goal, he nearly scored another, leading to a good save. His goal was quite cute in execution, coming across the defender and lifting it over the keeper.” Largs forward James Marks is likely to take on the captain’s armband this week after acting captain Graham Muir was injured on Saturday, with the club skipper Kevin Struthers missing due to a torn thigh muscle.

Thistle have signed Arran man Archie McNicol after impressing for an under 21 side. Sandy said: “We have taken a wee gamble on Archie and he has got pace and been scoring goals at U21 level, and because of injuries, we thought we would get him involved.” Sauchie manager Fraser Duncan said, "The Largs game will be a difficult match for both sides because the league form goes out the window in this type of game. The Scottish Cup is always a leveller and so the game will come down to which side wants it more on the day and we are looking forward to the match now."

* Support the club! Largs Thistle are hosting a Race Night fundraiser at J.G Sharps on Saturday at 5.30pm.