Forfar Athletic v Partick Thistle – match preview

Partick Thistle pay their first visit on league business to Station Park on Saturday since the spring of 2006 following their still contentious relegation from the Championship during the summer months.

As for the home side, they will return to competitive action following an enforced weekend of playing inactivity, with the postponement of last Saturday’s fixture at Broadwood.

The majority of the ‘Loons’ squad got some game time under their belt in the hastily arranged friendly with Dundee on Tuesday evening and it is likely that manager Stuart Malcolm will make only one or at worst a couple of enforced changes from the starting line up that secured the club’s first three-point haul up at Peterhead two weeks back.

That success lifted the Athies off the bottom of the league table, but results elsewhere last weekend sees them again occupy that position going into the clash with Ian McCall’s ‘Jags.’

Partick have accumulated eleven points from their seven league games to date and sit in third spot in the league, six points adrift of leaders Falkirk.

Like many sides, Forfar included they made a host of signings in the elongated close season including the vastly experienced Richard Foster, Connor Murray scorer of the only goal of the game in their visit to Montrose two weeks back from Queen of the South while Robert Docherty arrived having worked under McCall at Ayr United.

They also have two players on loan from neighbours Rangers including goalkeeper Keiran Wright.

There is no doubting that this will be a tough assignment for the home side, but they will go into the game full of confidence that they can reap some reward over the ninety minutes.

Kick-off is at the normal time of 3 p.m. and Gavin Ross is the man in the middle.