ALAN ARCHIBALD believes the grit his Partick Thistle side showed in ending their winless run against Ross County on Friday will stand them in good stead ahead of two key fixtures before the winter break.

The Jags recorded an impressive 3-1 win in Dingwall to claim three points for the first time since October, a result that lifted them off the foot of the Ladbrokes Premiership table and ended a seven-match streak without a victory.

Thistle scored three goals for the first time this season as Liam Lindsay, Kris Doolan and Chris Erskine netted second half strikes, before a late Liam Boyce consolation ruined their hopes of crowning a fine performance with a clean sheet.

With the bottom half of the table highly congested, the win for Archibald’s side saw them jump into ninth and they now face two home games before the winter break that could propel them further up the table.

The Jags boss was encouraged to see his players produce an accomplished performance in wild and wintry conditions as Storm Barbara made her presence known in the north of Scotland.

“I don’t know how it looked from the stands, but it was tough to play in so I’m delighted,” he said.

“The conditions were hard but I thought we managed them really well. It was a very even first half, but I was very pleased with the second half performance – and the second goal was key.

“We’ve been resolute away from home but didn’t get the rewards at Parkhead the other night after a good performance and Tynecastle before.

“We probably played better in those two games, but tonight was more about a battle, endeavour, a gritty performance – and scoring at the right times. The only negative was their goal.”

Dundee and Kilmarnock both visit Firhill in the next week, two sides currently sitting just one point ahead of Thistle in the Premiership table.

Archibald warned his players not to get carried away by their Highland triumph, but hopes it can provide the momentum to send his side into January’s winter break in a healthy position.

He said: “We climb four places and you don’t want to be bottom at Christmas. I don’t think we can be now so we can go and build on that.

“We have two tough home games which will be very tough, including a difficult test against Dundee on Wednesday.

“We won’t get too high after one win. We had back-to-back wins a month ago and that propelled us. Hopefully we can sustain it now.”