Partick Thistle pride themselves on their family ethos, and when a member of that family suffers pain in their personal life, it is the immediate reaction of all at the club to rally around them. At a time when midfielder Gary Fraser has needed the support of his club most, they have not been found wanting.

Fraser lost his “best pal” when his grandad John Muir passed away recently, a man who was the central figure behind Fraser’s ascent to the ranks of professional football. His loss has been felt keenly by the 22-year-old, but the pain has been eased a little by the sure knowledge that his manager, and his club as a whole, are standing behind him as he comes to terms with the void left in his life.

He said: “I’ve had some bad luck, I’ve had injuries all year then my grandad passed away last month. It’s been hard but the club has been absolutely outstanding. The club couldn’t have done more and hopefully I can repay them on the pitch.

“If it wasn’t for my grandad I wouldn’t be where I am today. Getting up on a Saturday and Sunday morning he’d take me to football. He’d take me down Glasgow Green to practise corners and free-kicks. He’d be here every game, even when I was injured on the bench or not in the squad. He’d be there supporting the team and me. He was a massive influence and I just want to go and make him proud of me.

“It will always hit me hard now. He was my best pal, my grandad. It’ll be with me forever and I’ll never get over it. I was very lucky to have him and I appreciate what he did for me. I’m finding it hard after games because he used to tell me what I did right and what I did wrong.

“He’d be completely honest. Obviously if I had two left feet I’m his grandson so he’s got to say I’m good! But he told me the truth and that’s what I needed.

“Hopefully I can keep pushing on where he left off. He’d been about with me in football so long, even when I was at Aberdeen when I was eight. He’d get talking to people and he wasn’t daft, he knew about football. You could tell.

“When he died it was just hard to take. I remember everything he told me, and now before games I think of everything he’d tell me.

“I can only repay the club and the manager and Scotty [Paterson] for what they’ve done for me. The manager has given me that chance to go and play since I first came on loan from Bolton.”

If Thistle are to maintain their dreams of a top-six finish, they will have to be wary of Fraser’s close friend and former teammate Kallum Higginbotham as he returns to Firhill with Kilmarnock today. Fraser says though that his friendship with the Killie attacker will be placed firmly on hold until the final whistle goes this evening.

“I talk to him a lot but we don’t talk about games, I just text to see how he is,” he said.

“I was close to him and he’s a good guy, but I’m not worried about him on Saturday, it’s about us. As soon as you cross that white line no-one is your pal apart from your teammates. Saturday will be a battle and hopefully we can win that battle.”

Higginbotham is sure to receive a tasty welcome from the Firhill faithful after leaving the club last summer, but Fraser doesn’t think that will affect him.

“That’s football,” he said.

“If you go through your career worrying about fans you’ll get nowhere. Everyone has a different opinion. On the pitch you just need to be fully focussed on winning.

“I think he’ll be like that. He won’t worry about the stick. I actually quite like it when I go back to Hamilton and I get stick. It fires some players up. I quite enjoy it.”

The Firhill club have meanwhile extended the contract of Australian under-23 captain Ryan Edwards until the summer of 2017.

The attacker's current deal was due to expire in June, but he has signed up for at least one more season, with the club holding the option to extend that by a further year.

Edwards said: "I'm absolutely delighted to have signed a new contract and have my future sorted. It lets me focus on my football and working as hard as possible for the remainder of the season.

"I'm loving my football and being at Partick Thistle. I love working hard and I'm enjoying coming into training every day. It's such a great environment to be in and such a positive place to be each day."