THE two-week international break is up...which means it's time for us to break cover at Firhill.

And let me tell you, the lads are aiming to hit the ground running when we head up the A9 to Inverness for Sunday's televised clash with Caley.

This is the battle of the Thistles, but we know we're facing one of the Premiership's real form teams.

The only disappoint-ment so far for Terry Butcher and Maurice Malpas was their last outing against St Johnstone.

Myself and Alan Archibald watched that game and came away with a few thoughts in mind after Caley surprisingly lost 4-0.

Overall, they have started really well, though, and Terry and Maurice have them playing some decent stuff.

We know to expect a reaction from them after that defeat and we will have to be prepared for it.

Terry's teams are always well organised, he gets his players running through brick walls for him.

They were top of the league for a few weeks and they are still in a good position.

But we are going there with a positive mindset and in a positive mood.

Terry has a knack of bringing in players that perhaps don't have the highest profile in Scotland, but they turn out to be excellent bits of business.

He has obviously got a good scouting network south of the border, it is a market he shops in regularly.

There is a lot of talk about Terry's motivational skills but he has shown that he has a good eye for a player.

He knows the league he is in and what it takes to succeed here and he gets players to do certain jobs in his team.

He has got a habit of getting a few gems in each year. He gives boys a chance and more often than not they produce the goods for him.

He has a lot of strong, physical players in a good squad and they have some excellent attacking players as well.

Billy McKay, in particular, is in great form once again and he has scored a barrowload. He is obviously one we will have to keep an eye on but it is about stopping the supply and stopping Caley playing in the final third.

A lunchtime kick-off up at Inverness is not ideal, especially for our supporters, but hopefully they can still travel in their numbers and we can give them something to shout about and another league win.

We gave the boys a couple of days off during the break and we have been really pleased with the work that we put in.

People talk about a lack of cutting edge in our play, but the boys have looked sharp in training and done well in the drills we put on.

It is frustrating for us all, but we are playing well and I have confidence in the players that they will start scoring regularly.

It will all click into place for us, hopefully starting up at Inverness on Sunday.