Thistle all ready to spike Hearts' dreams

THEY may no longer be the most prestigious Cup opponents since slithering from the SPL into the Second Division with two consecutive relegations, but Partick Thistle are revelling in their new giant-killing guise.

Last January, in their first outing under the charge of Dick Campbell, Thistle confronted Hearts on Scottish Cup third-round business as a club only seven months out of Scotland's top flight. They forced a replay after a 0-0 draw at Firhill, and subsequently lost 2-1 in Edinburgh.

They return to the Capital on Saturday as the forgotten men of Scottish football, languishers in the Second Division title race who are doubtless craving some revenge for last year whilst hunting another high-profile victim. Their last was Inverness, who succumbed to a tense replay defeat on penalties in Maryhill in the previous round of the Scottish Cup.

As far as illustrious scalps go, there are none bigger than Hearts from those left in this season's tournament. Celtic and Rangers' elimination by Clyde and Hibs respectively has presented the Tynecastle trophy cabinet with its greatest chance of a shiny new colleague since the Cup last visited Gorgie in 1998.

That should serve to motivate Thistle all the more, if a group managed by Campbell and Jimmy Bone has any room for extra motivation.

For Steve Fulton, captain of Hearts' last cup-winning side and a key member of the Partick team that verged on an upset against Hearts 13 months ago, Saturday at Tynecastle will be a day for strong wills.

"Nobody would expect Hearts to lose to a team from the First Division, let alone the Second," he says. "Partick will come in and be well organised and well fired up under Dick and Jimmy.

"The young boy, Adam Strachan, seems to be playing a bit more for them this season and he's becoming a big player for them. Mark Roberts has come in this season and he's done a good job at all his clubs.

"Big Paul Ritchie has scored plenty of goals this season so I know it's an old cliché but Partick will have nothing to lose. I'd say all the pressure will be on Hearts. The difference with Hearts compared to last year is that they're just a much better side and will be confident of going through."

As is forever the case in cup ties against lower-league opposition, the avoidance of being lulled into false securities will be critical for the Hearts players. Inverness will testify to the motivation and desire that will emanate from Tynecastle's visitors' dressing-room at around midday on Saturday, and the Scottish core across the corridor will be mindful of last season's experience against the same opposition.

Fulton believes there are one or two key figures amongst the Hearts squad still able to emphasise the luxuries of cup success.

"I can remember Robbie Neilson. He wasn't involved in the game itself because he was only a youth player, but he was pretty well involved in the celebrations after we won the trophy in 1998.

"I'm sure he will be telling everyone what that meant to the club. There were a quarter of a million people out on the street in Edinburgh when we paraded the cup. If Calum Elliot grew up a Hearts fan, there's a good chance he was one of them.

"I'm sure they will be getting the message across to the foreigners because some of the non-British players are surprised at how seriously cup competitions are regarded over here.

"It doesn't seem to be a big thing in Europe, but over here it is a big thing.

"With the way the league is going and Celtic pulling away, the cup is even more important for Hearts. They will be desperate to win something from this season, although if they stay in second place that'll be an achievement matched by no other Hearts team as they would then be looking at the Champions League.

"Nevertheless, you still want some silverware. And they would have a hell of a time afterwards if they won the Scottish Cup, as me, Robbie and a few others know."

Fulton was still experiencing the royalties of such success when Partick hosted Hearts in last year's third round, as chants of "Baggio" poured from the away support at Firhill. After his departure from Maryhill in the summer, it is over to other stalwarts of the side to assume the mantle of dragging the club back to the upper echelons of the Scottish game.

"We have almost a totally different squad from last season as the manager has brought in his own men," says captain Grant Murray, another vintage Jambo of the late 1990s. "It will be a totally different game because Hearts are all change as well.

"A lot the guys at Partick have played in the SPL and will know what to expect. Tynecastle will be packed, the crowd are right beside the pitch and that makes for an electric atmosphere. The Sky cameras will be there too and we are looking forward to that side of it.

"We will have our game plan sorted for Saturday and we aren't interested in playing for a draw. As long as our boys give a good account of ourselves.

"We felt unfortunate in the replay last season. We went ahead in the game and couldn't hang on to it, and eventually we lost a goal right at the death. That can only be encouraging. We are going there as underdogs but cup ties can produce something special."

Thistle have unearthed something rather promising themselves over the last year with the emergence of the young and exciting winger Adam Strachan, in whom a notable portion of faith will be placed this weekend.

"Adam is a fresh face in our team and as a young boy he has no worries about going on to the pitch and doing his stuff," continued Murray. "He holds no fears, but we have to take Hearts on as a unit and make that work for us.

"We'll be prepared properly. It's a different type of game for us with an early kick-off time but Dick and Jimmy will have us focused mentally."

Saturday provides a return to the spotlight for Thistle, a team who have been regular participants on the big stage throughout their history. Hearts will be seeking to make it their last glamorous appointment of this season.

Taken from the Scotsman