Saints v Partick Preview

Last updated : 10 September 2004 By Stuart Gillespie
Saints have a good support and have had a decent start to the season, likewise Partick. The last big crowd we had for a competitiv egame was when they won the league in April 2002, so it will be nice to have an attednance hopefully hitting the 5,000 mark again. If Caley Thistle, Livingston or both are at home, we'll probably have a bigger crowd than two SPL games. Good stuff.

Saints have no worries ahead of tomorrow. No suspensions, no injuries and no players away on international duty. Mixu isn't suspended, Mark Dempsie is fit and Simon Lappin is back from his spell with the Scotland under 21 team. Saints boss Gus MacPherson will have a full squad to choose from, though the only probably change from last week's lineup will be Mixu starting in place of either Ricky Gillies or John O'Neill. Captain Chaos will be hoping to continue some decent form (for him) against the side he left last summer.

Partick have a player with possibly name in Scottish football, and someone I'd love us to sign just because of that Emmanuel Panther, or Manny Panther as he's known. What a name! Previously with St. Johnstone, he signed for Partick last summer and they probably sold a fair few replica shirts with his name on the back. More worringly for Saints is that he has been in good form recently, scoring in Thistle's last two games.

Ian Ross was part of the Saints title winning squad in 2000, but is unlikely to feature against us tomorrow as he is still recovering from injury (surely not!). Another ex Saint, Alex Burns, was linked with a return to Firhill but, thankfully for us, it won't be happening and he won't be able to score against us. That task falls to leigh Hinds and Juan Ramon Escalas, the latter already having a reasonable tally this term.

It should be a great game tomorrow at Love Street, with a huge crowd. Hopefully it will be the home support who go home the happier of the two sets of fans.