Mustapha Dumbuya signs new Partick deal

Mustapha Dumbuya signed a contract extension at Partick Thistle until 2018 then targeted a top-six spot for the Maryhill men.

The 28-year-old Sierra Leone full-back joined the Premiership side on a one-year deal in the summer after leaving Notts County, but, when he made his debut in the 1-0 home defeat to Dundee, Alan Archibald's side had already failed to win any of their first seven games of the season.

That winless run extended to 10 matches and they were slumped at the bottom of the table before a 3-0 home win over Dundee United, helped by Dumbuya's first Thistle goal, arrested the decline.

The 1-0 win over the Terrors at Tannadice on Saturday - the Jags' third in succession - took them into eighth place, two points behind Hamilton in sixth with the club going into the Ross County game at Firhill on Saturday on a high.

Dumbuya was very pleased'' to finally sign his new deal, saying:I am glad it is over and done with. It dragged on for a couple of weeks but I knew I wanted to sign.''

When asked if Thistle were a top-six outfit, he replied: Definitely. I don't see why not.

It can go either way but if we keep playing the way we are playing and the confidence keeps building, I don't see why not.

Once we got that first win it gave us confidence and confidence has gone up.

We are scoring goals and the whole team is performing well.

If we win this Saturday and results go our way we could be in the top six. That is football for you.''

Dumbuya, who moved to England when he was five, insists feeling at home at Firhill was one of the reasons which persuaded him to extend his stay in Glasgow.

The manager to be fair, has been great with me,'' said Dumbuya.He has looked after me, him and Scotty (Paterson, assistant), and I am really getting on with the lads at the moment.

What I know playing for Partick is that we like to play football the right way, and we are doing well at the moment.''

• Local News