ABDUL OSMAN is determined to lead by example for Partick Thistle this term after being given the Firhill armband.

The midfielder has been named captain by boss Alan Archibald for the Jags’ third Premiership campaign and will look to guide his side to another impressive top flight berth.

Thistle have finished tenth and eighth in their first two terms back at this level and are keen to set their sights further up the Premiership standings this time out.

Osman was an influential figure in the middle of the park last season as he collected the club’s Player of the Year prize.

He gave boss Archibald a major boost by committing his future to Thistle earlier this summer and the 28-year-old is striving for further success this season.

He said: “I am privileged to be named captain and the manager has shown a lot of confidence in me to give me that responsibility. I am happy to get it and hopefully it will be a good season for the club.

“When you have got the armband, you have got to lead by example. When you are in the middle of the park, you can see things happening around you so hopefully I can orchestrate the team and organise them.

“When I was at Crewe, I was captain for a season and it was a good experience for me. It was my first time as captain so hopefully I can take that experience into this season.

“As a captain, you have to organise and be vocal. It is the way you talk to people, because everyone is different.

“For me, it is about encouraging people and telling them to keep going. Hopefully it will be another good season for us this year.”

Thistle head into the new campaign on the back of a productive summer schedule that saw them impress against Wigan and Rotherham in recent Firhill friendly fixtures.

A trip to New Douglas Park is first on the Jags’ agenda this afternoon as they look to get off to a flying start this season.

And Osman is confident Archibald’s side are in fine fettle ahead of the big kick-off.

He said: “It has been a hard and long pre-season but we have been working well and we have enjoyed it. Now we are just looking forward to getting going.

“The boys have done well in the games and we need to take that into the league now. It is important we get off to a good start and we are confident going into the first game.

“We done ok against them last season so hopefully we can get a win and get off to a good start with some positive results and build a bit of momentum.”

It has been a summer of change at Firhill as Archibald has seen several key players leave and Tomas Cerny, Gary Miller and David Amoo sign Jags deals.

The Thistle squad will be supplemented by a string of up-and-coming stars this season and Osman is confident the red and yellow protégés can play their part in the new campaign.

He said: “There are a lot of younger players in the team but they don’t need to worry about making mistakes.

“It is always good to see younger players come through and come into the squad.

“We have got some good players here and with time and games they will prove to be good additions to the squad.”