JORDAN McMillan insists Partick Thistle won't be mindful of the gap when they face St Mirren tonight.

The Jags will move 10 points clear of Tommy Craig's beleaguered Buddies with victory at Firhill as they look to pile more misery on the under-pressure Paisley boss.

As Alan Archibald's side got their campaign back on track with their 3-1 victory over Inverness Caley Thistle last weekend, pointless St Mirren finally scored their first goal of the season against Kilmarnock.

A double-digit cushion would give Thistle a bit of breathing space as they set their sights onwards and upwards this term, but McMillan isn't interested in looking over his shoulder.

He said: "We are not thinking about the gap just now, we are just thinking about the performances and doing well.

"We want to try and get as many points as possible.

"It is a nice incentive to have that on the back burner, but we have just got to kick on from last year and hopefully come the end of the season, we are not scrapping like we did last season.

"We are quietly confident of where we can be. We will take it one game at a time.

"The Inverness game was massive because of where they were in the league, but the players weren't looking at them that way.

"We have to believe in ourselves every week. We believe we can go and beat St Mirren."

After turning on the style to see off Caley last weekend, Thistle have given their campaign a much needed kickstart after a frustrating run which began with a draw against dundee Dundee followed by defeats to Hamilton Accies and Aberdeen.

The pressure, though, is building in Paisley as Saints head to Firhill for the first match of a league and cup double-header in urgent need of a spark this season.

Defeat to the Jags would be another hammer blow for the Saints and McMillan is determined to add to their woes by inflicting a sixth-straight league loss this evening.

He said: "I hope they are low in confidence and we can take advantage with a good start. Their tails will be up thought because they are under pressure and they will be believing they can beat us as well. It will be an interesting game.

"When you are down there, things don't go for you, but that is part and parcel of football and you just have to grind through the hard times."

The Premiership meeting tonight gives Partick a chance to lay down a marker ahead of St Mirren's return to Firhill next Tuesday on League Cup duty.

While the Buddies are recent winners of the competition, Thistle have struggled in Scotland's top knockout competitions in the last few years.

But McMillan reckons the Firhill squad is equipped to handle the rigours of all the domestic action as they look to make it a successful season on all fronts.

He said: "You need strength and depth throughout the season with the league and cup games.

"If we want a decent cup run, we need players coming in. The manager has brought players in up front which was well documented we needed as well as a full back.

"It is not nice when you are not playing but you have got to take your chance when you get it.

"The boys understand that and it is a good harmony in the dressing room because of that."