St Johnstone midfielder Paul Paton eyeing victory over former club Partick
St Johnstone midfielder Paul Paton led the calls for Alan Archibald to be handed the Partick Thistle job but he aims to put one over his former team-mate on Saturday.
Paton was Firhill skipper when Archibald impressed as caretaker boss following the departure of Jackie McNamara - and publicly expressed "disbelief" that the long-serving Jags player had not been not given the job on a more permanent basis after making an excellent start.
Archibald soon got a contract and Paton is not the only person who has been impressed at the job he has done - Shrewsbury made a failed enquiry about his availability earlier this month.
Paton, who moved to Dundee United after Thistle got promoted to the Ladbrokes Premiership, said: "I'm a big fan of Alan Archibald. The fact that there were English clubs talking about taking him down there speaks volumes for the guy.
"I don't think anyone was more outspoken at the club when Jackie left for Alan to get the job than myself.
"I remember doing an interview and I said, 'listen something has got to happen if we want Alan to get the job', and I think within a couple of days he had the job.
"I remember him thanking me for that at the time but he had chosen me as captain and I felt, as a leader in the dressing room, something had to be said.
"We said as a group at the time, let's speak out and get Alan the job, and he has not looked back since.
"He is at a stable club and has brought in a lot of good players. I'm sure they will have a good season but hopefully not as good as us.
"I've got a lot of time for him but I hope to put one over him."
Paton recently spent several weeks out of the Saints starting line-up but he was back on Wednesday during the 1-1 draw at Ibrox.
"It was good to be back in the team," the 29-year-old said. "I have been patient, the team has been going well, so I have no qualms about that. I just knew once I got in I would have to do well to stay there.
"I always knew coming here that there's a lot of good players at the club. That's the reason I came to the club, you are never too old to test yourself. Whoever plays in the middle, we will know we have a good two."
Saints manager Tommy Wright is glad of that strength in depth in midfield after losing Murray Davidson to an ankle injury.
Wright said: "It's important when you have three games in six days and we lose Davidson, he is out for a while. He has got to wait on a specialist's report to see how long he will be out.
"But one of the reasons why we went with extra depth in midfield was to cover situations like this. The way Murray plays, he will miss a few games, and Chris Millar had a few problems last year.
"We have the strength in depth to cover that across the squad. We have been without two defenders for most of the season.
"The squad is strong enough to cope with injuries and to rotate it when we can."
Partick boss Alan Archibald believes St Johnstone are the blueprint his side should be following if they want to fulfil their top six ambitions.
Firhill boss Archibald has nothing but admiration for Tommy Wright's McDiarmid men.
Wright led Saints to their first ever major trophy when he lifted the William Hill Scottish Cup back in 2014 and has also helped lead them to five straight top-six finishes.
Those kind of achievements remain a far off dream for Thistle but Archibald is up for the challenge.
He said: "St Johnstone are the benchmark for where clubs like ourselves want to be. They have won a trophy and are continually in the top half of the league.
"It comes down to consistency and continuity with Tommy's squad. He does his job well and unearths a diamond here and there every year.
"Their players all fight for the cause. You see that every week with the efforts they put in.
"That's all credit to them and they are setting the bar at heights we should all be aiming for.
"It's always a challenge playing St Johnstone. They are one of the form teams in the league right now.
"They're a hard team to beat. We did it last year but it took hard work and endeavour. They came to our place earlier this season and turned us over comfortably.
"We will need to be at out best again this time if we're to get anything."
Source: PAR
