PARTICK THISTLE will approach tomorrow's visit to Hamilton Academical 'like a cup final' according to boss Alan Archibald.

The Jags currently sit bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership table heading into December but know only a couple of positive results could catapult them into the top six.

Currently only two points off Motherwell who occupy sixth going into the jaunt to the SuperSeal Stadium off the back of a painful 2-1 defeat to Rangers last weekend.

Boss Archibald is not allowing his players get too downbeat by their lowly standing this early in the campaign, but has reiterated that his lot are well aware of the importance in this meeting with a team just a point above them.

“These wee points can make a huge difference," he said.

“Someone said to me after the game last weekend that when we scored we were in the top six then by the end we were last.

“It’s a massive difference to get three points. Especially against your rivals around you, it’s vital you pick up points.

“I think we have a good group of lads there and they know how big a game this is. We asked for a reaction last week and got that. They know this is like a cup final and they will be ready for the game.

“Last week is done and dusted."

Archibald is of course referring to the gut-wrenching finale to their meeting with Mark Warburton's team that ended in injury time heartbreak.

Kris Doolan had given Thistle the lead with just 14 minutes to play before a late cavalry charge from Rangers saw Joe Dodoo equalise with 81 minutes on the clock before grabbing the winner four minutes into injury time.

It was a painful blow for his team but one that he says won't get to them as they return to action in Lanarkshire.

“Yeah it was bitterly frustrating," said Archibald. "We put in a good performance and asked the lads for a reaction from Motherwell the week before.

“I thought we got that. It was a good all round performance up to the last 10 minutes then the concentration levels let us down.

“We said to the lads not to concentrate on the league position.

“We won a couple of games against Dundee and St Johnstone and we didn’t get too high after that. We know how tight it is and how quickly it can change.

“After we played Dundee they were sitting bottom but now they have picked up after a couple of good results. It’s important not to get too high or too low with the defeats as well.

“This is a massive game."

The transfer window opens in less than a month and already managers across the nation are already looking at what deals can be done to find that hidden gem to propel their side to bigger and better things.

Archibald is no different, but insists he is content that drastic changes are not required at Firhill.

He said: "We are monitoring a few to see what happens.

“One or two may be moving on, we’ll need to wait and see if they want to come to us and move on, we’ll decide on that.

“We’ve got a good squad at the moment with guys we’ve got coming back. Mustapha [Dumbuya] is not too far away either.

“Hopefully him and Gary Fraser won’t be too far away from coming back and we’ll then decide what we need."