Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald has paid tribute to the wise old heads helping to point his side in the right direction. The Jags collected their third clean sheet of the season with the 1-0 win over St Mirren two weeks ago. It was January last season before the Firhill manager saw his team rack up their third shut-out and Archibald believes that improvement is down to the signing the likes of defenders Dan Seaborne and Freddy Frans, midfielder Abdul Osman and forward Ryan Stevenson. At 25, Belgian centre-back Frans is the youngest and Archibald believes the wisdom of age has made a difference to his team.
The Jags manager said: "We were missing that bit of experience down the spine of our team, so we brought in a couple of older guys aged at 27 and 28. We didn't want to go too old and I think the oldest guy we signed was Ryan Stevenson at 30. But brining in the likes of Dan for defence and Abdul in midfield gives us that wee extra bit of experience to help the other lads. We were missing that last season but you can see the difference now. We've got three clean sheets already, which is better than this stage last year. We got promoted with a fast, offensive approach to the game. We liked to get our full-backs high up the pitch. But we knew that would cost us goals. Being a centre-half I know that you want to get the full-backs in tight beside you to help out. But now we have got the experienced guys at the back who knows when to let the full-backs go and when not to. If you have younger guys playing in that position they will just let them bomb on all the time. Now we have the right people with the right experience to know when is the time and when is not the time."
Aberdeen have lost two more players ahead of the game with Shay Logan suspended following his post-game red card against Celtic while Willo Flood is out after tearing his hamstring in the same game. Manager Derek McInnes is determined to keep the feel good factor going on the pitch following some major news off it. The Dons last week announced that they on course to wipe out their near £15million debt following investment from local business people and a restructuring. The news continues an extremely positive spell for the club on the park since McInnes took over 18 months ago and he is looking to use it as another springboard today.
McInnes said: "The investment news last week gave everyone involved with the club - the players, the fans, the directors and chairman and myself - a lift. It does give us an opportunity to push on. It is important from the players and coaches' side that we are working for a club that always want to improve, who show that ambition and that energy to try and improve things. That is all you want to do. To keep improving and improving standards. I feel as though we have got that at the club, I feel as though I am working for good people, the players feel they are working for a good club and we all want the same thing."