Archibald: Winning Is Most Important Thing

Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald will continue trying to play attractive football in a bid to increase Firhill gates - but he admits winning is everything against Inverness.

Thistle are offering free tickets to students for Saturday's Premiership home match but Archibald knows their regular fans will demand three points ahead of plaudits as they bid to get out of the bottom two.

Archibald said: "It was one of the reasons I got the job, to make sure we still played good football. It's something I have always tried to do.

"But it's like anything, people want to see their team winning. Fans are probably split down the middle between good football and winning games.

"But where we are just now we just need to win games. If we can do it playing good football then great, but if it has to be by winning ugly, then we'll take it."

Thistle have impressed with their style of play under Archibald but their average home attendances fell by 500 last season, in their second consecutive top-flight campaign.

"Our home fans were down last season and we finished eighth, which was a surprise," said Archibald, who has Robbie Muirhead and Gary Miller back in his squad.

"It makes it harder for the board to balance the books.

"The club tries everything. We have let the kids in for free for a long time as well and we are trying all different avenues to get more bums on seats.

"The club is pushing every area they can and I think you have got to now, you are competing in a hard market to get people to come to football matches."