We can't afford any more slip-ups, says Alan Archibald
The Jags sit two points off the bottom with one game to go
Alan Archibald admits his side cannot afford to miss another opportunity as his side battle for their Premiership survival.
The Jags could have taken a step closer to safety with victory over Motherwell on Tuesday with Hamilton and Ross County both losing.
But they remain in 11th place and destined for a play-off scrap after Ryan Bowman's goal confined Thistle to their 10th defeat in 16 games.
Accies hold a three point advantage going into the final day of the season and their superior goal difference means Archibald's men need a minor miracle if they are to rein in the Lanarkshire outfit.
County, though, are only two points back and could relegate the Jags outright if they beat St Johnstone on Saturday and Thistle fail to triumph against Dundee at Dens Park.
But Archibald is taking heart from the fact his side can still decide their own fate.
"That's the only positive to take,'' he told his club's official website. It is still in our own hands and if we go to Dens Park on Saturday and win then Ross County can't catch us.
"It's disappointing because the results went for us on Tuesday night and if we had got the win, or even a draw, we could have gone to Dundee with a chance of catching Hamilton but that's gone now.
"It's unrealistic to expect us to catch Hamilton due to the goal difference swing but we can make sure that we go into the play-offs with a positive result. We've got to believe we can go there and win the game.''
Thistle performed admirably at the Energy Check Stadium but paid the price for their lack of cutting edge as Bowman's second-half header sent the points back to Fir Park.
It was a familiar tale of woe for Thistle and their manager is praying for a change of luck.
"The result overrides everything,'' he said. "The performance at this stage of the season doesn't matter, it is just all about getting the points and tonight we got nothing.
"We played well in the first half and created a number of opportunities but didn't take anything.
"We were punished by a free header from a set piece and that has killed us in the last three games - all the goals against have resulted from set pieces.'