JACKIE McNAMARA hopes he can tie down a number of his Partick Thistle players on long-term deals to stave off interest from other clubs.

After losing Paul Cairney to Hibs this summer, striker Kris Doolan is the latest Jags player to be linked with a move away from the club, with Hearts credited with an interest in the Firhill forward.

Doolan, goalkeeper Scott Fox and midfielder Chris Erskine are in the final 12 months of their Thistle deals, and McNamara is keen to avoid losing more players on Bosman moves.

He said: "We had speculation surrounding players last year and I would imagine there will be speculation this year because they are young, maturing and doing very well.

"That is a good problem for me and for the club to have. Erskine, Fox, and all the players, I would like to have them all on two-year deals.

"That is something we will look at, and it will be down to the players and what they want to do with their futures.

"For me and the club, I would rather have them under two-year contracts. We will sit down with them and see what their thoughts are.

"Hopefully, they can see that things are improving here and there is a real positivity about the club, and they want to be a part of that moving forward."

Thistle continued their preparations for the new campaign with two impressive displays in the ARR Craib Cup at the weekend.

Wins over Celtic and Everton saw the Jags lift the silverware at Firhill, and McNamara hopes the Maryhill fans will have left encouraged at what the future holds ahead of the new Irn-Bru First Division season.

He said: "It was a very positive weekend for us in terms of fitness and the results.

"It was about preparing the players and getting ready for the new season.

"It was a good test for us against two teams with players who have been around the first teams of Celtic and Everton.

"We will not get carried away, but it was certainly a positive weekend.

"I hope the fans went home happy and optimistic ahead of the new season. Hopefully they are excited about the players who have come in.

"I thought Stuart Bannigan was excellent. He has a lot of energy and drive about him, and Sean Welsh showed his ability and got a couple of goals as well.

"I have a few selection headaches coming up, but I have always said that is what I need. We need to have everybody pushing each other for places."