Transfer talk

By Iain Hepburn on Jan 9, 09 04:47 PM in players

Could be an interesting month ahead.

Juniors hitman Kris Doolan's joined us on an 18-month deal. Chris Turner and Ryan McStay have been told they can go - and indeed, Turner's been released on a free after displaying nothing during his spell at Firhill (and far less than he displayed on his mobile phone...)

Despite coming in at 5'10", Doolan's reportedly decent in the air, which is a godsend at the moment given the diminutive nature of the Firhill strike force. But with both Gray and Lennon's loan deals set to expire this month - and hopefully neither being kept on - someone who can compliment Bucky Buchananananan and provide a bit of a threat in the box is more than welcome.

But there's other strengthening work required - and that could prove more problematic.

Maxy's out with a broken foot for as much as eight weeks - a huge hole at the back of the Thistle defence, given how reliable he's been this season. It means either a big rejig of the back line, and more games for Bombscare Kinniburgh - or McCall's going to have to find a reliable central defender to bring in for a couple of months.

And there's the question of who do we keep hold of. Lennon and Gray will likely be off - and won't be missed, unlike much of Damon's attempts on goal - while Turner has been punted and McStay'll likely be next out the door.

Tuffey's being increasingly linked with moves elsewhere, while Harkins has been attracting SPL interest too. At least if they go it'll bring in a bit of cash, although Jonny especially will be a hard one to replace. We could probably survive on Hinchcliffe for the rest of the season, but it'll put paid to any promotion hopes, one suspects. Harkins I wouldn't necessarily miss, but again he offers something that'd be hard to replace.