Thistle for the cup? That would be Devine

Danny Devine believes his new team-mates should take inspiration from his old ones by setting their sights on cup glory.

Devine, who made the switch from Inverness to Maryhill during the close-season, held firm as Partick completed the Betfred Cup group stage with a perfect four wins. It is sure to be tougher when free-scoring Caley – with 12 goals in their last two games – visit Firhill at the start of a new Premiership campaign on Saturday.

But the 23-year-old believes a winning start could pave the way for a successful season, with a top-six finish and possible silverware.

He said: “This year we can start challenging for top six and on the trophy front. If you look at last season when Ross County won a cup and the season before Inverness, there’s no reason why Partick Thistle shouldn’t be up there challenging for a trophy.”

Despite a gritty performance by Queen’s Park, Thistle never looked back following Chris Erskine’s opener, though they had to wait until near the end for Liam Lindsay’s header to seal the win.

It ensured Thistle are seeded in the last 16 and Devine added: “The gaffer made it clear before the tournament kicked off that we wanted to do well and pick up maximum points to be in a good position going into the season.

“The boys are just about there now and this week we’ll have rest and recover and be ready for the first game against Inverness.”