IT is said that a problem shared is a problem halved.

Having committed the crime, Steven Lawless is now doing the time - but he is not alone at Partick Thistle.

The charge sheet against the 24-year-old was headline-grabbing and comment-provoking, but it is the personal and professional price that Lawless is paying for his misdemeanours.

After being accused of betting on 513 matches between December 2012 and March 2015, the Jags winger was handed a six-game suspension, four of which are suspended, by the SFA last week, and he spent the final day of the Premiership campaign in the stands as Alan Archibald's side drew with his former club Motherwell.

In his hour of need, and with the spotlight fixed on him, Lawless was able to turn to those closest to him and found understanding and comfort.

From many quarters, there will be sympathy for the situation he finds himself in, but that doesn't diminish his determination to right the wrongs.

"I broke the rules and I deserve the punishment," he told SportTimes. "I know that. And I know that it could have been a lot worse.

"I will take it, I know I was wrong. I want to put it in the past and concentrate on my football now.

"It was always there. I could have tried to stop before, it is just one of those things. I am going to deal with the problem and get it all sorted.

"That is one of the things we spoke about, getting things in order in terms of support for me. That is sorted and hopefully I can move forward now.

"The gaffer is happy to put it to bed. We have known for a while about this, and it hasn't affected me on the park where I have put in some good performances.

"When it first came out, that is when it could have affected me most. I think he is pleased that it didn't then and it won't going forward now that I have that support."

With his name on the back pages and his case one of the main talking points in our game, many would have thought the end of the season couldn't have come quickly enough for Lawless.

But he has addressed the issue and met the challenge head on, eager to overcome a trying, testing situation that few players have found themselves in.

The forward was very much in the public eye, but it is behind closed doors at Firhill, and at home with his daughter Rhea, where he has weathered the storm.

He said: "The whole club have been very supportive of me. We have known for a few weeks and everyone has been great. I am quite good at blocking stuff out, so it hasn't affected my football.

"When I am on the park, I could forget about it. The squad, the management and coaching staff and everyone has been really helpful. When I have had to speak to someone, they have been really easy to talk to.

"I am able to switch off when I am training or playing and that is all I focus on. I am lucky that I have got my wee girl as well, so I didn't have much time to think about it. That has helped me a lot."

Having already missed one Premiership match through his own doing, Lawless will now have to wait an extra week to start the new campaign as he serves his second suspension after the summer shutdown.

The price of a relapse - another four matches on the sidelines - could be costly for both the player and Thistle.

But Lawless is determined not to make the same mistake again, and can go into his third Premiership campaign with the Jags on the back of another impressive term in red and yellow.

It is for his talents on the pitch that Lawless is adored by the Thistle fans and has been rewarded by Archibald, the new contract he has signed ensuring he will remain at Firhill for the next 12 months.

And it is on the same platform where he is determined to prove he has emerged stronger through the trials and tribulations over a turbulent few weeks.

Lawless said: "When you see the headlines, it makes it sound bad. I know I have broken the rules and shouldn't have done what I have done, though. If everybody had to look at their betting history, I am sure there are worse cases than that.

"But I broke the rules and it is about getting me to stop, and I have. I have learned my lesson. It is a hard one to take because I don't like missing games. I want to play football and I have got my best years ahead of me.

"There will be a lot of people that will be judgmental that probably shouldn't be because they don't know me as a person.

"There will be a lot of personal digs aimed at me, but I can take it. I will take the punishment I deserve and hopefully show what I am about when I get back on the park."

Lawless is the fourth player to be brought to task under the strict Hampden guidelines that forbid players, managers, coaches and club officials from placing wagers on games anywhere in the world ... but he will certainly not be the last.

The charges and punishments against Rangers pair Ian Black and Steve Simonsen and Michael Moffat of Ayr United vary, but the principle remains the same as the rules were broken.

Every case brings the issue of gambling in our game back into focus and serves as a warning, and those in charge hope, a deterrent, for other would-be offenders.

Lawless said: "Hopefully other players learn from my mistake. When it came out, it was a strange feeling everyone knowing that you had been gambling. I am sure some people will be put off it now and that is a good thing if it stops them doing it."