THINGS may be looking bleak at the moment for Partick Thistle, but club captain Abdul Osman continues to look on the bright side.

It could be a whole lot worse, after all. While the Jags continue to fight for survival in the Ladbrokes Premiership, Osman reflected on another turbulent and, ultimately, doomed battle with his former club Gretna a decade ago.

The rapid rise of the tiny Borders club, bankrolled by millionaire benefactor Brooks Mileson, led to them appearing in the top flight for the 2007/2008 campaign.

But the fairytale swiftly turned into a nightmare as the financial affairs 
unravelled and Gretna were eventually liquidated at the end of a torrid year in which they finished bottom of the table while narrowly avoiding setting a record-low points total having racked up just 13 all season.

For Osman that embattled period was one of the most challenging of his career but he would face more financial woes when he moved to Greek side Kerkyra.

The current plight of Thistle may have those who hold the club dear nibbling their finger nails with growing anguish but Osman is using perspective as a useful tactic in the bid to banish the relegation fears.

He said: “Being at Gretna during that time was just about as bad it could get. We weren’t getting paid, we were struggling in the league. It was a very tough time for everybody. 

“Unfortunately Brooks passed away as well. It was a terrible period and certainly one of the hardest periods of my football career. I’ve had a couple of tough times though. In Greece I had a similar situation with players not getting paid. So you have to put things into perspective. 

“Yes, we are fighting for our lives but as long as we work hard we can fix it. We can just focus on the football. That was the thing we couldn’t really do at Gretna with so much going on in the background.

“I’m not contemplating relegation. There is pressure, and you are always aware that jobs could be on the line if you go down. 

“So we need to fight for that and think of the wider issues that would affect the club. I’m still very confident that we’ll get out of this.”