IT IS difficult to have a positive outlook after a defeat, but after losing 1-0 at Dens Park last weekend, it was hard to criticise the boys for what was a dominant performance.

Paul Hartley said the best team lost last week and I'd totally agree. We came off the pitch without a point and, in truth, if we had even got a draw we still wouldn't have been happy.

We dominated the game from the off.

The most pleasing thing to take from it was that we looked like our old selves again. The past few weeks we've been off form and it was good to see the boys playing like we know we can.

I don't think our league placing is an accurate reflection on how we've performed over the course of the season, but we are where we are.

Being unlucky won't keep you in this league. For us, that has to be our primary objective.

You can talk about being in the top six, improving on our league placing of tenth from last year, but staying in the Premiership is the bottom line for Partick Thistle.

The nature of this league is you are either top six or bottom six. If you are in the lower half, it's deemed as an unsuccessful season by many. I don't agree with that.

It may sound negative, but keeping our top-flight status is what it was about for us at the start of the season. You need to remember this is only our second term in the Premiership.

Do I think we have improved from last year?

Undoubtedly. I believe we have a stronger team after bringing in some quality players, and I also think the boys who have been here for a wee while have found their feet more this season.

We want to establish ourselves in this league and if we manage to stay up I think we will begin to do that. I believe we will become stronger and stronger, and we are a club who want to kick on and try and get into the top six.

For a club the size of Partick Thistle, we should be in the top league in Scotland. The next few weeks gives us a great

opportunity to secure that.

Ross County come to Firhill this afternoon on the back of a great result for them against Motherwell, and we know it would not take much to pull us into the relegation fight.

That's why a win today, and again when we play them in a fortnight, would go a long, long way to making us breathe a bit easier.

That is easier said than done, though, as County will come to us full of confidence, and rightly so.

They have brought in Raffaele De Vita, who I worked with when I was assistant at Livingston, and he has made a huge difference to their team.

But we will be ready for them, I can assure you of that.

Earlier on this week, we were able to announce that Declan McDaid had signed a new contract that will keep him at Firhill for another two years.

At just 19, we have high hopes for Declan as he's certainly one for the future. He is a midfielder full of confidence with no fear and it's fantastic news that he will be staying on longer.

But he is just one of a number of young kids we think can go and perform on the big stage for us. The likes of David Wilson is superb, he's knocking the door down. We also have guys like Liam Lindsay.

There is a lot of young talent here and that will benefit us in the long-term.

For now, however, it is all about the short-term and making sure we stay in the league and finish as high as we can. And that starts this afternoon.