ALAN ARCHIBALD is happy to bide his time as he looks to bolster his Partick Thistle attacking arsenal.

The Jags boss has enjoyed a productive few weeks in the transfer market but has not finished with his summer shopping spree just yet.

Defender Gabriel Piccolo and midfield duo Isaac Osbourne and Simon Colina signed up last week.

Thistle kicked off their SPFL Premiership campaign with a 0-0 draw against Dundee United on Friday night and will host Ayr United in the first round of the League Cup tonight.

And the Jags boss is eager to strengthen his forward line before the end of the month.

Archibald said: "We are still looking to get boys in. We have got until the end of this month, so we will wait and try to get the right ones in if we can.

"I wouldn't say a striker is the priority, it is more a forward player who can play on the wing or through the middle.

"We are only one game in, I am not going to push the panic button because we didn't score.

"I thought Kris Doolan did well, he worked hard, and John Baird looked lively when he came on and was unlucky not to get a goal.

"I think we are missing a wee bit of pace at the top end of the pitch.

"We have lost Chris Erskine and Stevie Craig from last year, so we know we need to replace these guys.

"At the same time, the guys that started on Friday night can take great credit and confidence from their performance and how they acquitted themselves."

After seeing his side turn in an impressive showing on their top-flight bow against United last week, Archibald is likely to make several changes to the starting line-up for tonight's clash with Mark Roberts' Honest Men.

The Jags gaffer handed the captain's armband to Sean Welsh ahead of the Premiership curtain-raiser and reckons the midfielder is the ideal man for the job following Paul Paton's move to United earlier this summer.

He said: "I thought Welshy was great on Friday night. He is at a good age and he has a real hunger and desire to go far in the game.

"Some people make a big deal about the captaincy, it can help some guys and it can hinder others.

"I spoke to Welshy about it and I thought he was the right man for the job.

"It is the right time in his career, the responsibility will maybe help him grow as a person as well.

"At the same time, it doesn't guarantee him a game every week. He has got to keep working hard and playing well.

"We have got a lot of captains in the team, they all take responsibility and lead by example, you could see that on Friday night."

Maintaining their Premiership place may be Thistle's primary objective in the months to come, but Archibald has his sights set on success away from our top tier this term.

They are strong favourites to book a second-round berth at Firhill, but the Jags will be taking nothing for granted.

Archibald said: "I am wary [of changing the team too much] because it looks as though we are being disrespectful to Ayr, but that is certainly not the case.

"We are bringing in like for like, we are not weakening the team by making changes. It is not as if we are bringing young boys in.

"I am expecting a similar level of performance to the one we saw on Friday night. We are desperate for a cup run this season. We did well in the Ramsdens Cup last year and we all really enjoyed that.

"We haven't done that well in the League Cup in the last few years, so we would love to get a run it in this season.

"But we know how hard it is going to be against a well organised Ayr team."