PARTICK Thistle captain Christie Elliott feels there is scope for a recovery this season despite the departure of club legend Alan Archibald.

Archibald was sacked by the Firhill board on Saturday night after a fifth defeat in eight matches that leaves Thistle third from bottom.

The directors felt that Archibald, who had spent five-and-a-half years in charge, won promotion and even led Thistle to the top six of the Premiership, could not achieve their ambition of returning immediately to the top flight.

Archibald was just not getting the response he needed from the players and there are moments when you just have to accept that your time is up.

However, he remains a good manager and will surely return to work soon.

The interesting aspect will be who Thistle can turn to. Can they afford Robbie Neilson? Is Jim McIntyre and Billy Dodds a partnership that would work? Should former Jag Danny Lennon be approached?

Whatever happens Elliott knows the players need to start producing results fast.

He said: “It’s important that we stick together now. There are still a lot of matches to play in this division and we need to try to get ready for Saturday.

“It’s a long season and if you can get three or four wins on the bounce you are right back in there.

“We need to try to stick close to the pack above us and hopefully we can start that on Saturday against Dundee United.”

While the Maryhill fans wonder about the future, County look like a team ready to go straight back up to the Premiership.

And that would mean three straight promotions for Josh Mullin who won League One with Livingston two seasons ago then triumphed in the play-Off final last season when the Lions clinched a return to the top flight and sent Thistle down.

He had offers to play in the Premiership but chose to head north and reckons it’s the best decision he has ever made.

The 26-year-old said: “It would be three promotions in a row for me but we’re not getting carried away. Ayr are doing really well and Ian McCall has got them flying.

“It’s a tight league but over the next few games you’ll start to see gaps opening up.

“The more points we pick up the better. We had a few draws but you see after these last couple of wins, every point is important.

“There were a couple of contracts on offer from teams in the league above but I went up to County a couple of days after Livingston went up, saw the facilities and knew it was a no-brainer.

“You can see with my game even now, I feel like I’ve made the right decision and who knows where it’ll take me.”

Mullin and strike star Billy McKay are moulding a terrific partnership up top with six goals between in the last two matches.

But there was a bit of a battle over who was going to take the penalty that ultimately clinched the game.

Mullin had put the Staggies ahead in 14 minutes and it was his cross into the box that led to Elliott handling Ross Draper’s header in 56 minutes.

McKay beat him to the ball – even although Mullin was due to take any penalties awarded in the match.

He said: “I took the last one and said I was on them. But he grabbed the ball and obviously he was full of confidence after the hat-trick last week against Dundee United, so I let him have it.

“It’s about getting that relationship. We’re good for each other; Billy’s an out and out striker and I thrive off putting balls in the box. Billy scores goals and has done it all his career, so long may that continue.”