Alan Archibald urges Partick Thistle to retain focus late on in games

Alan Archibald does not think the crowded nature of the Ladbrokes Premiership's bottom half will have a negative impact on the style of football.

The Partick Thistle manager, though, does accept that being close to the drop zone could bring an edginess late on in matches.

The bottom two meet at Dens Park on Wednesday with both Dundee and Thistle looking for their first win since the opening day of the campaign.

But Thistle are only three points off sixth place and are aiming to lift themselves a few places above the Tayside club.

The Jags have paid the price of losing four crucial late goals in their last five home matches but Archibald feels it is too early for teams to start sacrificing performances for results at all costs.

He said: "With the pitches being so good, and all the pitches are good just now, there is a lot of good football being played. The pressure is not affecting the football.

"Whether it affects decision-making and late goals, which we have found, that might come into it.

"The Dundee game for us now becomes a massive match and they are all six-pointers already.

"Other teams are playing each other and something has to give, and you know it's a massive incentive that if you get three points it will lift you a couple of places in the league.

"We have had a terrible start to the season, we have not won since the opening day. But on the other side of that we are three points off sixth place, which is incredible."

Thistle's latest late blow came on Saturday when they were looking comfortable against Ross County until Chris Burke struck an equaliser well into nine minutes of added time.

"We can't dwell on it too long,'' Archibald said. We know where we went wrong. It was very evident on Saturday, a couple of individual mistakes led to the goal.

"But other than that in 90 minutes the performance was very good and we have got to take the positives and move on to what is a massive game with Dundee.

"We have a chance to put some daylight between us and them and maybe get further up the table."