CHRIS DUGGAN has seen his Queen's Park peers graduate with honours from Hampden.

Now he is eager to be the next Spiders star to hit the big time after taking one step back to stride two forward.

The striker has returned to his former club on loan from Partick Thistle and could make his QP debut against Elgin today.

Duggan moved to Firhill last summer after a spell at Hamilton Accies and has dropped down the leagues in a bid to find regular first-team football.

He has seen the fortunes of former team-mate Andrew Robertson rocket since he left Hampden for Dundee United, with the Scotland international now starring at Premier League Hull.

And the 20-year-old is determined to follow the same path as a host of his contemporaries as he bids to impress Jags boss Alan Archibald.

Duggan said: "There were a few League One teams interested and I would not have considered going to League Two if it wasn't for the fact I played for Queen's earlier in my career.

"I know a lot of people at the club and this seemed like the right move for me. It just felt right. When I was there a few years ago we had a great team.

"I was there with Andy Robertson, Lawrence Shankland, Blair Spittal, Aidan Connolly and they have all moved on and done great, which is a testament to Queen's Park.

"With Gus MacPherson now in charge, there was a big turnover of players over the summer.

"But there are still boys there I know and it will be nice to go back and play for them again."

Duggan enjoyed a prolific start to life at Firhill last season, ­before injury interrupted his campaign.

After returning to full fitness, he spent time on loan at Forfar with former Jags boss Dick Campbell.

Despite being part of Archibald's first-team squad in pre-season and in the opening few weeks of Premiership action, he has yet to make his Jags bow.

With Kris Doolan, Ryan Stevenson and latest recruit Nathan Eccleston all vying for a strike berth, Duggan was likely to find his chances limited in the coming months.

But now he is determined to make the most of first-team football with the Spiders after some words of wisdom from the Jags gaffer.

He said: "The manager said the most important thing for him was that I was playing regular first-team games. I was on the bench for the first few games of the season.

"But even if I was to get a few minutes here and there, he said he wouldn't have been happy with that.

"At my age and at this point in my career, it is important I get as many first-team games under my belt as possible.

"Hopefully I can get a good run with Queen's Park now and score a few goals.

"I need to get into the rhythm of training during the week and playing every Saturday.

"At Thistle, I am training with the first team and playing with the Under-20s.

"It is a bit up in the air so it will be good to get into a more regular rhythm again."

Duggan may not be part of Archibald's plans in the coming months but he is determined to remain part of the Thistle squad.

He will train and play with the Spiders from now until the turn of the year, but he will still be a familiar face around Thistle's Garscube Training Complex as he bids to catch Archibald's eye.

Duggan said: "Hopefully I will be in training with Thistle almost every day.

"I will train with Queen's at night a few times a week but I will look to be in every morning with Thistle. The more football I can cram into a week the better.

"I want to train and play as much as I can, keep working on my game and keep getting better all the time.

"Hopefully this loan will allow me to do that and I can come back to Thistle a better player."