THE table doesn't lie.

But it doesn't tell the whole story, either.

A glance at the SPFL Development League standings would lead observers to deduce that it has been a solid, if unremarkable campaign for Partick Thistle's Under-20 side.

Having won ten of their 24 fixtures and collected 32 points in total, they are tenth out of the 17 teams that compete at the highest level of youth football in the country.

But those figures and their current placing in the standings don't show the upturn in form or the promise that those on the Firhill books have shown in recent months.

A 3-2 victory over Hearts on Tuesday night continued an impressive run for Scott McKenzie's side, whose only blips this year have come against leaders Aberdeen, title challengers Celtic and a Falkirk outfit that are five places above them in the table.

"The boys are doing great just now," boss McKenzie told SportTimes.

"Since the turn of the year, I think we have played ten games and we have won seven.

"We lost to Aberdeen, which was a game we should never have lost, we deserved to lose to Falkirk and Celtic beat us as well.

"Since the turn of the year, the boys have grasped what we are looking for and made the step up from the 17s.

"I am really pleased with them. They are taking on board what we are telling them and how we are trying to play.

"With the younger ones coming in, they were trying to find their feet at the start of the season and we did have a few defeats.

"But I told them to keep believing in what we were doing and to try and be positive. There are negatives along the way but you need to turn them into positives and learn quickly.

"They have taken on board what we are trying to do and have reacted really positively."

The recent upturn in form may have, with just four games left this season, come too late for Thistle to force their way into contention at the sharp end of the table but it has given McKenzie plenty of reasons to be optimistic for the future.

Time on the training pitch has allowed the former midfielder to get his message across to the next group of Firhill hopefuls but it is the results on the park that show how far the Jags are progressing.

McKenzie said: "When you are playing for the 20s, you need to have that experience of an older player or two to help guide you along.

"I am only interested in the development of my players and playing against older players will help them.

"It is obviously about the development of footballers, but winning breeds confidence.

"If you are getting beat every week, they won't try things like they would when you are winning every week.

"If we lose, we look at the negatives and the positives, and take the positives into the next game. If they have had a defeat, they have always responded.

"Results breed confidence in the players and the team.

"Personally, when I played, I always wanted to win the game. If I played poorly, I wanted the team to win."

Thistle may be reaping the rewards of the Under-20's rapid rise but they are not the only club to be benefitting from the work being undertaken at grassroots level at Firhill.

The formation of the ThistleWeir Academy in October 2013 saw the Jags overhaul their youth structure under the guidance of former striker Gerry Britton.

The club have made significant steps in a short space of time and McKenzie is confident the hard work will pay off for the club and those promising kids in the system.

He said: "The way football is going these days, teams have to give players a chance due to finances. At Thistle, if you are good enough then you will play.

"Declan McDaid went into the first team and done really well, David Wilson is in there as well, and Dale Keenan.

"Liam Lindsay is at Airdrie and Chris Duggan is at Dumbarton so the signs are good for them and for us.

"There is a pathway through the levels and that should give the boys confidence. They have got to progress if they want to catch the manager's eye.

"I think the Academy is probably progressing quicker than we thought it would.

"I am sure Gerry and Scott Allison would say the same and we didn't think we would be this far along so soon. We are progressing and going in the right direction.

"The change from the start of the Academy to now is really impressive and really promising and that is a credit to everyone here."