Alan Archibald delighted as Thistle secure top-six finish
Alan Archibald claimed Partick Thistle had moved yet further away from being the butt of Scottish football fans' jokes by sealing a Ladbrokes Premiership top-six place with victory over Motherwell.
Alan Archibald claimed Partick Thistle had moved yet further away from being the butt of Scottish football fans' jokes by sealing a Ladbrokes Premiership top-six place with victory over Motherwell.
Kris Doolan's 11th-minute goal proved enough to earn three points and guarantee Thistle's highest finish since 1981, when they finished sixth.
Jags manager Archibald likened the feeling to their 2013 promotion and admitted a major emotion was relief that they are not among a six-way fight to avoid relegation.
The 39-year-old, who has spent most of his life at the Glasgow club, said: “It's similar to winning the Championship. When you've been down for as long as we were it's similar.
“It's great for everyone associated with the club and the most important thing is we aren't going to be in the bottom six, to be honest. That's horrible, so it's a relief.
“We have come through the bad times here, Partick Thistle are sometimes maligned and laughed at at different times. It's great now the club has been up for three or four seasons and we are enjoying it.
“We will not rest on our laurels. It's just great we are in the top six. We don't have to look over our shoulder and that's great for the fans, because they have been through some tough times.”
Thistle dominated the first half but faced some sustained pressure after the break and were thankful for Tomas Cerny's excellent diving save from a Zak Jules header.
Kilmarnock's defeat at Celtic Park meant their top-six place was secure anyway but Archibald was keen to celebrate with three points.
He said: “We spoke about that, we didn't want to have to look at results and waiting for anyone else. We wanted to do it ourselves and there was no more fitting way to do it than what we have built the second half of the season on, a clean sheet and a wonderful save from Tomas Cerny.
“He took his recent mistake against Kilmarnock really, really personally, as he does, because he is an ultimate professional, and his save was outstanding.”
Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson admitted his side had paid for a poor first-half display as they fell into the bottom two.
Robinson, whose side improved after Keith Lasley and Lionel Ainsworth came on at half-time, said: “We started brightly enough but as soon as they scored we didn't win a second ball the whole 30 minutes, we didn't put a pass together, and you can't start football matches like that. It was too little, too late.
“We did dominate the second half and created chances but the game was lost in the first 30 minutes.
“I was an angry man at half-time. The players realised the importance of this game and the importance of the situation we are in, and it didn't look like some of them actually realised the impact of losing this game. So they were told in no uncertain terms and I asked for a reaction.
“They gave me a reaction second half but you can't start football matches like that, end of story.”