KRIS DOOLAN reckons four is the magic number for Partick Thistle as they bid to beat the drop.

The striker returned to the Jags side for the 3-1 win over Hibs on Saturday as boss Alan Archibald pitched all of his top attacking options into battle for the first time this term.

Doolan and strike partner Lyle Taylor may not have got on the scoresheet but the pair played a key part in a deserved win as fellow forwards Chris Erskine and Kallum Higginbotham found the target.

It has been a frustrating few weeks for the Jags' top scorer following the arrival of Taylor on loan in January but the striker is determined to keep his place and is confident the goals will continue to flow from the Firhill forward line.

Doolan said: "I am delighted to be back in the starting line-up and to get another win and three points on the board. I have just done what I always do, keep my head down and work as hard as I can every day in training and do my best when I get on the park.

"I am always there ready to be called upon and thankfully that came on Saturday. I was delighted when the manager told me I was playing and pleased to play my part in the win.

"Hopefully I can keep my place now. You can see that when the four of us play together, there are goals there.

"It doesn't matter which one of us scores, we had Lee Mair chipping in on Saturday, but the longer the four of us are on the park the better.

"It is important that the goals are shared out across the team. You can't just rely on one player throughout the season. It is a long season to be relying on one player.

"To be fair to Kris Boyd, he has banged in a lot of goals, but Kilmarnock are heavily reliant on him. Here, we want to spread the goals around. That is what we are doing and hopefully we will get the benefits from that."

Victory over Terry Butcher's side was another big boost to Thistle's Premiership survival hopes as they recorded their second consecutive home win.

The Jags had taken four points from their previous two games against Aberdeen and Ross County before being forced into an impromptu mid-season break.

Doolan was pleased to see their preparations for the Hibs clash pay off after Archibald and his squad spent some time at a training camp in Manchester earlier this month.

He said: "It was good to get away for a few days. We had some light training and were able to relax for a few days together. We had some motivational speakers that came in and gave a couple of talks at night. It was good, the boys enjoyed it.

"It was important that we made the most of the break when it came along. You need to be ready to go when you return to action and you could see that on Saturday."

With another three points added to their tally, Thistle can now look forward to their trip to Inverness this weekend in high spirits as they bid to continue a decent run of form that has seen them lose just twice in their last 10 games.

Doolan was the two-goal hero on the Jags' last trip to the Caledonian Stadium in October and the striker is eyeing another Highland celebration on Saturday.

He said: "There is not a better time of the season than now to start putting a few results together. Hopefully we can go up to Inverness and keep this run going.

"I have scored most times I have been up that way and scored against Inverness earlier in the season so hopefully that continues this weekend and we can get another three points on the board."