GARY FRASER insists there will be no fear factor when Celtic first foot at Firhill this week.

Partick Thistle will kick off the New Year with a derby clash against the champions on Thursday night as they look to get back to winning ways after a frustrating festive fixture at Fir Park.

Alan Archibald's side were edged out by Motherwell as John Sutton's first-half penalty condemned them to a defeat in their final game of 2014.

Thistle have lost both of their meetings with Celtic so far this season as they were beaten 6-0 at Parkhead in the League Cup and 1-0 on Premiership duty.

Ronny Deila's side will be firm favourites for the Firhill clash, but Fraser reckons the Jags have what it takes to cause an upset.

He said: "It is a completely different game when you play Celtic. We will go out and give it a go and see what happens. We know they are a quality team and they will be favourites, but there is no point in fearing them. If you do that, you will get beaten.

"We will play our game and you never know what can happen. We need to play the way we can, we need to be brave on the ball, and you can't have anyone hiding. If we can do that then we have got a chance."

Thistle head into derby day short of festive cheer after a frustrating recent run that has seen them fail to pick up the points they deserved.

A lack of cutting edge cost them as they failed to break down the Steelmen rearguard and earn a share of the spoils at Fir Park.

Motherwell are now just three points adrift of Archibald's side, and Fraser was disappointed not to take something from a crucial clash.

He said: "In the first half, I thought we started well and then had a bad spell, but we were better in the second half and were disappointed not to get a goal. We were pushing them back so I was hoping it would be our turn to get a late goal, but it never happened for us.

"In the final third, we were taking too many touches or not picking the right pass. If we can sort that out, it will be a different story and we will start finishing teams off. You need to take your chances when they come along and that has to change for us"

Having also been held by mid-table rivals Kilmarnock and Dundee in recent weeks, Thistle have squandered decent chances to move up the stable and give themselves a cushion over the teams at the bottom.

The Jags have set their sights on a top-six finish, and midfield star Fraser knows they will have to improve if the dream is to become a reality.

He said: "If we continue like we are and we don't score goals, then we will be in trouble. I believe we are good enough to escape that and hopefully our luck will turn.

"We should be a lot higher in the table, but if you don't score goals then you are not going to be. That is what wins you games.

"The sooner we pick up the points the better. We want to be going up the table and not getting dragged into it at the bottom again going into the last few games of the season. I am sure that won't happen, but we need to pick up points as soon as we can."

*Partick Thistle will wish Jags fans a happy New Year with a special offer for Sunday's visit of Dundee United. For just £5, supporters can access the Alan Rough lounge pre and post-match, with live music, a discounted bar and food available. To book, events@ptfc.co.uk<mailto:events@ptfc.co.uk> or call 0141-579 1971.