2013-14 report card - Partick Thistle

Staying up was all that mattered

6/10

LEAGUE: 10th, 38pts (2012-13 - first division champions)
SCOTTISH CUP: Fourth round
LEAGUE CUP: Third round
MOST USED FIRST XI: Scott Fox, Stephen O'Donnell, Conrad Balatoni, Aaron Muirhead, Aaron Taylor-Sinclair, James Craigen, Stuart Bannigan, Gary Fraser, Kallum Higginbotham, Steven Lawless, Kris Doolan

OVERVIEW: Mission accomplished, really.  The Harry Wraggs' sole aim was to stay up, and they managed it, though not with too much to spare.  It became a bit more of a struggle than most expected after an impressive start to the season; once opponents worked out how to take advantage of the recklessness of Thistle's attacking full-backs, results took a nosedive.  Most glaringly, the team didn't win a home league game until February, and were victors at Firhill only once more after that.  But the away form was good enough that sufficient points were ground out to keep them out of the bottom two.

HIGH POINTS: Performances didn't really get much better than the victory over Ross County in August, where the result was 3-1 going on 5-1.  Beating Aberdeen to break the home duck was pretty sweet too.

LOW POINTS: Before that win over the Dons, Partick managed just one win in sixteen league games, a run which might have got some managers the sack (not that this would have been justified in this case).  The nadir was probably being gubbed 5-1 at home by Motherwell just after Christmas.

STAR MAN: Aaron Taylor-Sinclair wasn't quite as good in 2014 as he was in 2013, but the full-back definitely belongs at Premiership level and, now his contract has expired, he seems likely to leave for a bigger club - possibly even Celtic, who are known to have been impressed by his abilities going forward.

ONE FOR THE FUTURE: Midfielder Gary Fraser is lucky still to be at the club - an assault on a Dunfermline player in a under-20s game in October led to a nine game ban and other employers might have got shot of him.  However, Partick instead chose to make permanent his loan deal from Bolton, and the teenager has rewarded their faith with some impressive passing displays.  His late season strike against Hearts is particularly worth watching.

WASTE OF SPACE: Neither Mark Kerr nor John Baird were sensible signings by Alan Archibald, and neither did very much for their wage before leaving in January.  Kerr never even played a league game, while Baird was even less effective up front than he was at Dundee in 2012-13.

THE BOSS: Archibald is still relatively inexperienced - 2013-14 was his first full season as manager - and it showed at times.  His lack of a plan B was exposed on many an occasion over the winter, but some astute January moves - in particular the arrival of Lyle Taylor - made the team a bit more robust.  I'm still not convinced that he knew his best eleven even by the end of the season though, and next season's squad will still contain many players who have not shown yet that they are cut out for the top flight.  In his defence, he missed his two best defensive midfielders - Isaac Osbourne and Sean Welsh - for several months.

PROSPECTS FOR NEXT SEASON: Thistle's chances of avoiding a relegation battle next season depend on who they can bring in this summer.  Tying up Taylor and Chris Erskine is a major priority.  However, the defence may need a complete makeover, especially if Taylor-Sinclair departs.  The club haven't managed three consecutive seasons in the top tier for nearly two decades, and major reinforcements are needed if they are to pull that off.  But the retention of Fraser, Stuart Bannigan and Kallum Higginbotham means the midfield should be pretty decent.

FIRST TEAMERS DEFINITELY LEAVING: Prince Buaben (end of loan), Chris Erskine (end of loan), Lee Mair, George Moncur (end of loan), Lyle Taylor (end of loan)

L.