RYAN SCULLY has set his sights on the Partick Thistle No.1 jersey after returning to Firhill from two loan spells with Dunfermline.

The keeper has spent the last couple of campaigns with the Pars and is now ready to launch another bid to land the Jags gloves.

It is summer signing Tomas Cerny and keeper coach Paul Gallacher who stand in his way following the departure of Scott Fox to Ross County earlier this summer.

And the 22-year-old is up for the fight as he looks to prove his worth to boss Alan Archibald and shine in the Ladbrokes Premiership next season.

Scully said: “Being first choice is the aim at the start of the season. I have helped my chances by going out for two years and getting top-team football at Dunfermline and I am here to make a push for the number one jersey now.

“Hopefully I can put in a good challenge for it and get myself in the team. I expected the gaffer to bring someone in, so it is a good challenge for me. Tomas is a quality keeper and we are pushing each other on and we both want to be first-choice keeper.

“Gall is still more than capable, he is a very fit guy for his age and a very good goalkeeper. It is a good group we have got here and we work well and hard together.”

Scully has already made a handful of appearances for the Thistle first team and is one of the longest-serving players on the Jags books at present.

It is the coming months that could finally see him make his big breakthrough at Firhill after serving his apprenticeship over two campaigns at East End Park.

Scully agreed a new two-year deal before heading out on loan last summer and Thistle have kept a close eye on his development as he bids to catch the eye this term.

He said: “Gall has got good contacts at Dunfermline so he has been getting regular updates and if Thistle didn’t have a game he would come to watch me.

“He has kept in touch to see how things were going and been getting feedback on me. The manager said when I went on loan that it was for a reason.

“When I was here, I was on the bench a lot and there comes a point where you need to go and play first-team football and I was pleased to get that at Dunfermline.”

Having earned his stripes in Fife, Scully now has lofty ambitions for the new campaign as he has returned to Glasgow with his sights set on a first-team jersey at Firhill.

He is confident he can handle the step up from League One to the Premiership as he looks to make his mark in red and yellow.

And the keeper hopes his experiences, good and bad, will stand him in good stead after some ups and downs at East End Park in recent years.

Scully said: “It was perfect for me to go there and Dunfermline is a really good club. I fitted in well, everyone made me feel really welcome and I was able to establish myself as number one and play week in, week out.

“In the first year it was disappointing to get beaten in the play-offs and last year was just a disaster.

“It was a mixed bag at times. With Rangers in the league, they were expected to win it and with the trouble Dunfermline had been in, there wasn’t a lot of expectation.

“We were well clear of third and then fell short in the play-offs. Last year we didn’t do well enough, but it was good to have that experience and to have the highs and lows.”