Lawless: Thistle Need To Shape Up

Photo by Jeff Holmes Partick winger Steven Lawless admits they need to wise up to avoid losing late goals. Thistle have continued an unwanted habit from last season by conceding five important goals in the final five minutes of Scottish Premiership matches this season. Those included an injury-time penalty winner against St Mirren, who they play on Saturday, and last weekend's equaliser by Hamilton midfielder Tony Andreu deep into injury-time. Lawless said: "We've got a bit of a habit of doing that so it's one of the things that we need to work as a team and try to make it right. "You can't take anything away from the strike at the weekend, it was a wonder strike, he took the ball down and turned and hit it right in the bottom corner. "So there's not really much we can do about that but we have previous of doing that so we need to work on that as a team. "I think we need to be more neat. It's been seeing out games that's the problem. Teams seem to do it against us. "It's just things like putting the ball in the corner and holding on to it, and getting away with as much as you can during those last few minutes. "Over the period we have been up we have lost a few (late goals) and if we can cut that out I think we can push a lot higher up the table." St Mirren's win at Firhill is one of only two the Paisley side have managed in the Scottish Premiership but Lawless knows their luck could turn at any moment. "It's a bit like us last year," the former Motherwell player said. "I've seen a few of their interviews and games and the ball is just not falling for them in crucial areas of the park. Hopefully it continues that way past the weekend. "They are a good team but sometimes you go through those stages where the ball just doesn't drop for you and things go against you." Lawless has started 13 games this season after flitting in and out of Alan Archibald's starting line-up last term, and he believes uncertainty over his future is actually helping him. The 23-year-old is out of contract beyond the summer but is comfortable with postponing renewal talks. "I've not spoken to the gaffer, I'm just trying to concentrate on my football and trying to get up the league," he said. "I quite like the pressure of not knowing what's going to happen, I think that makes me perform better. So I'm enjoying it the way it is but I'm open to talking if the club want to obviously."