PARTICK Thistle’s task is far from easy but at least it’s straightforward.

If they win their last two matches, tonight at home to Motherwell and then away at Dundee this Saturday, they will not be relegated this weekend.

Hamilton are three points ahead, but with a much better goal-difference, and could still be caught.

However, if the Accies beat St Johnstone this evening then Thistle will, at best, face a play-off.

All Alan Archibald’s men can do is take six points, which would relegate Ross County, and hope someone does them a turn which would mean them finishing tenth.

“We will need two wins to stay up without a shadow of a doubt,” said Archibald.

“Our goal-difference isn’t great, so we know what we need to do. Thankfully we are at home which should give the lads a boost.

“The players knew when the league split that we’d need to win two or three games. We have not done that, we’ve only won one, but are unbeaten and that’s a positive thing. So, we need to get a win.

“One team (Dundee) is out of trouble now and so it’s left between three of us. We have a slim hope of catching Hamilton and to do that we need to beat Motherwell.

“Our situation does give us clarity. We can’t think that a draw might to because it’s quite simple. We need to beat Motherwell.”

Thistle are only two points above County who haven’t given up in a play-off place.

The play-off might be the best they can hope for.

“We are aware of the pressure,” said the Partick manager. “But the players need to deal with it themselves. They know what’s at stake.

“We have to focus on a football park. I’m not saying they ignore what is going on, but they need to blank it out and concentrate on starting the game well.”

Midfielder Christie Elliot might be a Geordie, but he could have been born and bred in Maryhill.

This popular long-serving servant can’t imagine his life without Thistle and his team not being in the Premiership; not after all the club has been through.

“I have been at Thistle for seven years,” he said. “So this is my hometown club now. We massively need to win these two games, we can’t rely on anyone else.

“It’s been a while since we’ve won back to back and there have been games we’ve gone in to where the confidence has been low.

“Now we’ve got to reap our own rewards by sticking together and concentrate on ourselves it’s all down to results elsewhere.

“All of the lads within the squad want each other to do well and hopefully we will get these two wins and we do stay up.”

Relegation is not worth thinking about for all at Firhill.

“If we look at how well we’ve done in this division, we are an established Premiership team,” said Christie.

“But you look at the past and some of the big clubs who’ve gone down and struggled as the Championship is a hard league to get out of.

“I wouldn’t want to go through that and trying to get back where we belong.”