PATRICK THISTLE boss Alan Archibald yesterday reflected on the long run of games that the Firhill side has played against Celtic without experiencing a win. And he is trying to this unwanted record as a motivation to help create the shock of the season in the Scottish Cup at Celtic Park at lunchtime today.
Before the match there will be one minute of silence in memory of former Celtic star Liam Miller, who passed yesterday aged just 36.
Who can remember the last time Thistle beat Celtic? Certainly I can remember my first ever match between the two Glasgow clubs. That was at Hampden for the 1971 league Cup Final and Celtic lost 4-1. For a six year old it was bewildering. The thing I remember most was that the clouds were so vivid.
“I think someone told me it’s 29 games since we beat Celtic which is too long by anyone’s measure,” the Thistle manager said.
“Granted there are games in there that we maybe should have taken victories from, especially since I took charge. We’ve had some decent performances at Celtic Park in recent seasons but ultimately it stands for nothing if you can’t take at least a point away from these games. Nowhere is that more true than in the Cup where you either get through or your journey comes to an end.”
And Archibald is taking plenty of encouragement after seeing Celtic falter last weekend down at Kilmarnock in what was a pretty awful performance from Brendan Rodgers’ side. A repeat of that kind of form today and the Thistle boss anticipates a shock result today.
“Kilmarnock went and did it last week and I think that gives everyone a bit of hope that we can too – certainly that’s the way we’ll look at it. Obviously you’ve got to be wary of the backlash but we’ll look to take care of our own business. We know what to expect and we’ll need to deal with that when it comes on Saturday.”
There’s nothing that Thistle fans would love more than to lift another trophy and if they could take the scalp of the Scottish Cup holders, league leaders and Champions, then Archibald believes that they would be taking a giant step towards achieving that ambition.
“It’s certainly got a different feel about it and it brings a bit of refreshment when these cup games come along – you look forward to the William Hill Scottish Cup and to playing in it no matter who the opposition are. It’s a chance for these lads to make themselves heroes for generations to come and if that doesn’t motivate you then nothing will.
“I remember Tommy Smith scoring at Parkhead shortly after I first joined the club and even now everyone talks about that goal. That’s what we’ll be saying to the players, go make yourself a hero. That idea is even bigger in a cup tie so it could be absolutely massive.
“It’s a one off game and we just need to make sure we give everything. We’ll have a game plan to play to and if the players stick to that I think we have a real chance. It’s always going to be tough and we were a bit disappointed not to get a better draw but now we’ve just got to focus on ourselves and on giving the best account that we possibly can.
“Hopefully we’ll have Steven Lawless and Callum Booth back but Niall Keown is still 50/50. Stuart Bannigan is still having issues and he’s away to see a specialist this week to get to the bottom of the issue that is persisting with his knee. We really want to get to the bottom of it because it’s almost two years the lad has been out now and he’s just desperate to get back playing.”