Partick Thistle striker Kris Doolan is excited by the firepower in the Firhill front four, and he has predicted that Jags fans will be witnessing a glut of goals from their attackers this season.

Doolan himself has already got two goals in the first three Betfred Cup games, while new signing Blair Spittal has hit the ground running with three strikes to his name, and Stevie Lawless and Chris Erskine are also off the mark for the campaign.

And Doolan, so long the man who has shouldered the main responsibility for getting Thistle’s goals, is enthused by the supporting cast he now has at his back.

“It’s exciting times,” Doolan said. “It’s understandable that maybe it didn’t go to plan in the first game because we were all getting used to playing together again, but that front four can really cause a lot of problems, especially when all four of us can finish as well as set up goals.

“I can understand why Blair Spittal was attracted to come here, because the way we play football suits the likes of him, Stevie Lawless and Chris Erskine, those kinds of players.

“I’m delighted to see Blair fitting in easily, getting off the mark already, and hopefully there’s a good few goals to come.

“I think it’s important that we have to spread the goals throughout the team, you can’t just be relying on one player. It’s a long season and we need players chipping in from all over the pitch with goals, because it would make a massive difference.

“We are showing now that we are gelling together, and by Easter Road we will have had a good few games under our belts and hopefully, will have put a good few goals away between us.

“Hopefully the start we have all had is a sign of things to come.

“It’s been great to get off to such a good start personally. As a striker, you always want to get off the mark as quickly as possible, and to follow it up with another goal builds that confidence going into another game on Saturday, and hopefully I’ll be able to add to that.

“Each goal is like a building block towards that target of double figures as quickly as possible and then getting as many on top of that as I can, that’s the way I look at.”

Thistle go into their final group stage game knowing that they have to beat bottom-placed Stranraer to qualify for the next stage.

But Doolan is confident that the Jags will get the job done, particularly as the immaculate Firhill pitch is now set up to allow them to play their best football.

“We’re looking forward to the game,” he said. “We know what’s at stake and what’s needed, so from that point of view we’re ready, and especially being back at home where it’s a great pitch to play on, it should suit us.

“You saw in the St Mirren game just how lethal the team can be at times on a good pitch, so we’re looking forward to getting back out there on it.

“The club deserve a lot of credit, because the pitch plays a massive factor in how well the boys can knock the ball about.

“We went to Airdrie the other night on the astroturf, and it was tough. It was dry and sticky, and it can be a bit of a leveller at times.

“To have a good pitch that we can go and play the type of football that we want to play and we are good at playing, it does really help us.”