Partick Thistle delight over SPL experienced players

PARTICK Thistle manager Alan Archibald captured two players with SPL experience yesterday for his First Division Champions.

However, he admitted his team have little chance of recruiting Gary Harkins from Dens Park.

Former St Mirren, Dunfermline and Scotland goalkeeper Paul Gallacher has joined the Jags along with Dundee striker John Baird, and Archibald said: “We let Steven Craig leave so I am delighted that we have brought ‘Bairdy’ in to replace him. ”

“Paul is a right good goalkeeper and he will be our goalkeeping coach as well.”

Archibald’s hunt for more new faces is not going to bear further fruit in the short-term as he explained: “We have spoken to a list of players and told them we are interested. We are probably a bit down the line in terms of being their choice as they are talking to clubs we cannot compete with financially.”

“That will probably change in the next month when players have missed out on a wage and managers who have been in the hunt for players realise they cannot sign them all.”

One player who Thistle will not be seeing next season is their former favourite Harkins despite the midfielder not putting pen to paper on a new deal at Dundee with the Firhill manager saying: “I don’t think we can afford him. Other teams are interested and when that happens we cannot compete. It is unfortunate but we will just have to get on with things.”