KALLUM Higginbotham believes Partick Thistle can get the three points they desperately need when they face Motherwell at Firhill tomorrow - despite being without the suspended James Craigen.

Craigen saw red at Celtic Park on Wednesday after hauling down Stuart Armstrong in the penalty area, an incident that led to the Parkhead side taking the lead just before the interval.

The player will now be suspended for tomorrow, but Higginbotham has insisted the Jags have it in them to get a result that prevents them being dragged into a relegation dogfight.

"It is disappointing for James and he was gutted in the dressing room afterwards," said Higginbotham. "It is just one of those things. He has played very well for us since coming back into the team, but we have enough players who can go in there and do a job.

"The most important thing is that we stick together for these last few weeks of the season. We are about to go into the split, and a couple of poor results could really have us down there and in amongst it.

"If you are in a position where you are involved in play-offs at the end of the season you just never know where it can end up. At the minute things are in our own hands and we can make sure we stay safe and stay in the league, which is always our priority. But we know what is required to achieve that."

Motherwell will go into this game optimistic they can engineer a way up the table following their comprehensive 5-0 win over St Mirren on Tuesday night.

With the business end of the season fast approaching, Higginbotham believes it is a case now of treating every game as though it is the biggest of the season.

"I do think this game tomorrow is massive for both teams," said the forward. "If we come out of it with the win then it takes a lot of pressure off us, but at the same time, I think you want to treat every game between now and the end of the season as a must-win.

"But I don't think we should approach them with any nerves. We have shown we are good enough and it is now just a case of relaxing, enjoying our football and going out and doing our talking on the pitch.

"Motherwell are fighting for their lives. They'll come to us looking to repeat the way they performed against St Mirren and it is up to us that we don't let them settle and instead make sure we get in amongst it right away.

"We lost on Wednesday night to a good Celtic side, but these are never the games that are going to make or break our season - it is what we do in the encounters against those who are round about us.

"That means getting the head down now and trying to drive on. We are looking forward to the game. Hopefully there will be a good crowd at Firhill to get behind us and we can get the result we want."