Partick Thistle

Image source, SNS

Kyle Turner says "a siege mentality" has helped Partick Thistle make history already in their quest of a Scottish Premiership return.

Thistle lead Ross County 2-0 going into Sunday's second leg of their play-off final and the 25-year-old midfielder has praised the way manager Kris Doolan has rekindled their promotion drive after succeeding Ian McCall in February.

Doolan recently had to cope with the death of his father and Turner said: "He has had a hard time in the last few weeks and it has been tough for him, but the gaffer has been brilliant.

"In five play-off games, we have scored 18 goals and conceded three, so the gaffer has installed a belief in us. He wants us to be free and go and play our own game and it has worked so far."

Thistle, unbeaten in 11 games, are the first side to reach the play-off final after finishing fourth in the Championship.

"We were disappointed this season and we should have been challenging in the final games, but we slipped up a few times and we weren't happy with that," Turner said.

"We felt the worst we should have finished was second. When we got past Queen's Park, then the belief started to grow. We know Sunday will be tough and County will throw everything at us, so we have to be ready."

Turner believes the margin of victory over County, who finished 11th in the Premiership, could have been greater.

"The way the game went with them down to 10 men, with the chances we created, on another day we would have scored more," he added. "But if someone had said to us we would win 2-0 then we would have been happy."

Brian Graham is confident Partick Thistle will complete their promotion mission in Dingwall where they take a 2-0 lead for the second leg of the play-off final with Ross County.

The 35-year-old striker scored Thistle’s second at Firhill and said his side were “exceptional” in victory over the 10-man Premiership side.

“It was an all-round great team performance, it could have been more but we have to give credit to Ross County, the way they threw their bodies on the line, the keeper made a couple of great saves but we were exceptional,” said Graham.

“Ross Docherty and Kyle Turner sitting there giving us a balance has given the front four a real freedom to play.

“The momentum is with us and we know what’s at stake but we will go there with huge belief that we can get the job done.”

Aidan Fitzpatrick scored Thistle’s opener within ten minutes and says he is “disappointed” they are only 2-0 up going into the second leg.

“We dominated the game,” said Fitzpatrick.

“We won both first legs in the previous rounds and we just went went out with the same approach each time. We’ll do the same at Dingwall."

Image source, SNS