As a manager, when your team slip to the bottom of the table, and have only scored two goals in their first eight Premiership matches – with even those goals coming in the same match – then it would be understandable if you were feeling a bit down.

Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald admits that the mood hasn’t exactly been all sweetness and light around the training ground after his team’s defeat at Ross County condemned them to such a fate last weekend.

To remedy matters, Archibald has moved to secure the services of Australian under-23 international Ryan Edwards until the end of the season, and he hopes that the former Reading man will provide a cutting edge to an attack that has so far been as blunt as a spoon.

“I think Ryan can help in terms of creativity,” he said.

“He will bring an energy and is a good age. He will give us a different option that means we don’t have to go with the same things all the time.

“He is an attacking midfielder who can play anywhere behind the striker. He has also played various age levels for Australia so hopefully he will fit in well.

“I would see his strengths as picking up space in behind the striker because he is a very intelligent player. He can play wide as well and is a very fit lad. He can also go beyond the striker and link up.

“He has a decent pedigree. He has been in training for a week or so.

“We were aware of him at the end of last season when he was being released by Reading but we couldn’t get him up in time. But now we have him on board.

“He played in a bounce game on Tuesday and looked ready fitness-wise. It’s just about fitting into the group so I think he’ll be okay.

“He has already started to adapt really well. Anytime we have had any Australian lads here they have fitted in very well.

“We are delighted to have him on board.”

“Monday was a bit down, I’m not going to lie to you.

“It’s been about picking the boys up because no-one wants to be bottom of the league. But there is a chance on Saturday to get back into the group.”

Archibald tried hard not to be drawn into using the cliché of Saturday’s opponents Motherwell benefitting from a ‘bounce’ after manager Ian Baraclough was relieved of his duties this week, but he admits that it does complicate his task.

“It’s obviously a different Motherwell we face now, with a different manager, but we’re looking forward to the game,” he said.

“There will be a wee bit of the unknown, because we don’t know what we are going to get in terms of formation or shape.

“We’ll maybe be facing something different to what we had expected.”