Partick Thistle could probably leave Firhill at half past two on a normal Saturday and still make it to Motherwell with enough time to get changed into their kit for a three o’clock kick-off.

Thanks to the ongoing roadworks between Glasgow and Lanarkshire though, which have turned the M74 into a bewildering labyrinth of orange cones and despair, they are having to treat this weekend’s match more like a trip to Aberdeen.

The motorway will be completely closed on Saturday, so Thistle have made arrangements to meet at a hotel near the town early in the morning to have their pre-match briefing and meal.

Manager Alan Archibald hopes that the disruption to their travel plans doesn’t put them in a jam, as he looks for his men to hit top gear (sorry) in a massive match in the table’s bottom half.

“We’re having to leave really early,” Archibald said.

“We’re going pre-match as well so that we can get the players all together as early as we can and get as close as we can to the ground.

“I think we’ll only be meeting about 10 minutes away, so hopefully that will let us get there on time because it will be a real problem.

“We’re going about half 10 to the hotel pre-match which is just up the road from Motherwell. We’ve just got to get on with it.

“Hopefully we’ll get everybody there and the fans can get there too to make a good atmosphere.”

Perhaps a change to how Thistle approach matches at Fir Park is no bad thing though, given that they haven’t defeated Motherwell at the venue for going on 21 years.

Archibald knows that in order to bust that particular hoodoo, his side will have to perform in a similar manner as they did in the impressive away victories against Dundee and St Johnstone recently.

“It’s a tough place to go, they’re very much up and down just now like most of the teams in the bottom half,” he said.

“I’ve heard the pitch is brilliant now though so maybe that will help us. They have got good players, but we just need to make sure we concentrate on ourselves.

“We had a good performance against them last time, although a draw was probably a fair result because they had a goal chopped off.

“It will be a tight affair no doubt. We have been in good form, we’re doing ok, but we know we’ll have to be at our very best to beat Motherwell because I really do admire the way they play. Their front boys are a real handful, so we need to be at our best to beat them.

“All the games against each other down that bottom end are massive games, because they make such a massive difference to where you end up.

“If you win a game you’re always going to move up places because the league is so tight from sixth right the way down to the bottom.

“It’s important that we win the games against other teams in the bottom six, and there’s none more important than Saturday’s game.”

Thistle have been given a boost ahead of their nightmare trip to Lanarkshire with the news yesterday that midfielder Ryan Edwards has triggered a contract extension to keep him at the club until the summer of 2018.

“It’s fantastic,” Archibald said. “Ryan has been a real added bonus this year with the positions he’s played in.

“Last year he only really played in the one position, but this year he’s moved in about the midfield. He’s played up the top just off the striker and he’s dropped back as well.

“He’s been really good, he has an infectious personality in the way he plays and he’s just a joy to work with.

“He’s one of these guys that just gets on with his business, no complaints on and off the pitch, so we’re delighted to extend his deal for another year.”