IT is said that behind every successful man there is a woman - and at Partick Thistle, the theory is being proven correct.

The Firhill club are utilising the skills of sports psychologist Shona Duffy to give them the edge in the Irn-Bru First Division title race.

After working with players on golf's European and Challenge Tours, Duffy has turned her attentions to the beautiful game, helping Jackie McNamara's players off the field and enabling them to strive for success on it.

Alongside her work partner, Caroline Farquhar, she has been part of Jags' behind-the-scenes staff for several weeks, with the results of their methods already proving impressive as Thistle set their sights on championship glory.

"I contacted the club because I used to follow them years ago," Duffy told SportTimes.

"A golfer I work with had dinner with (Partick Thistle chairman) David Beattie and he was telling him that he had seen a big change in his performance and that he had been working with me.

"Through David, Jackie got in touch and that is how it came about.

"I hadn't worked with a football team before so it was new to me. Jackie was really open to the whole concept of what I was doing so it was great to come on board."

With seven wins from their first 10 league fixtures, McNamara's squad have already shown they have the necessary skill and talent to take on the best the First Division has to offer.

While the Jags boss hones his squad on the training pitch, Duffy aims to have an impact off the field, helping players with a range of issues, releasing the hidden strains and allowing them to focus on football.

She said: "We look at it on different levels. It is about optimising their energy.

"Firstly, it is about releasing negative energy, whether that is off or on the pitch.

"We look at lifestyle and things like finance, relationships, diet, their career, how mentally strong they are.

"We also work on a football level, Jackie has things he would like to see.

"He wants to know what their mental attitude is like, how motivated they are and things like that.

"We get them to look at areas they are perhaps weaker in or could improve in.

"We also look at what their vision is for their own career, where they want to go and what they want to achieve then we bring everyone into the bigger vision of the team."

It is not just mental scars that Duffy has been able to heal, with striker Steven Craig's early return to action from injury a few weeks ago credited to the work she put in alongside physio Kenny Crichton.

Duffy is confident a healthy mind will prove crucial in the pursuit of silverware and said: "We want to focus on their performances and make sure they pull together as a team.

"Everyone works really well. The backroom team is very motivated and the players have talent. When you bring it together, you get results like we have been getting so far, which is fantastic."