A last gasp defeat is hard enough to stomach. Getting a footballer to then pose with a pizza in the immediate aftermath of a crushing defeat as part of an awkwardly timed PR stunt could bring on a violent feeling of nausea.

“He’s taken some stick but to be fair, it was a difficult time to take a picture like that given the way the game ended,” said Niall Keown of the well-circulated picture of his team-mate Conor Sammon holding a pizza but wearing the face of man who'd been asked to eat a woodlouse. “If we win on Saturday, I’m hoping they kit out the full team with pizza.”

The sobering 2-1 defeat to Dundee last weekend gave Thistle plenty of food for thought and Keown is seeking redemption today as the Maryhill men go head-to-head with Hamilton in a vital game at the foot of the Ladbrokes Premiership. The 22-year-old is also eyeing something of a silver lining with his boyhood favourites Arsenal taking on Man City in the Caraboa Cup Final tomorrow.

“The Hamilton game comes first for me but I will enjoy watching the game on Sunday if we have three points,” said the son of decorated Arsenal stalwart Arsenal. “If Arsenal win, it would end up being a good weekend for us all.”

With both Thistle and Hamilton entangled in the relegation web, there is plenty at stake today. A match with Ross County is also looming on the horizon for the Jags and Keown is looking for the men in red and yellow to stand up and be counted.

“Every game between now and the end of the season is a big game,” he said. Everyone always talks about must-win games and they all will be now.

“But if you let that consume you and let those pressures affect you then it won’t work out. There is obviously massive importance when you play the teams around you but we have done well in these games before. We just need to make sure we improve on the mistakes we have made in the past.

“We had a spell of playing games like this one just before the break and we picked up a few important wins, especially at home. It’s about staying level-headed and sticking together as a group because it will be a tough month, but an important month in terms of the league table.

“It was a strange feeling after the Dundee defeat because we dominated so much of the game. We played them earlier in the season and won 2-1. We didn’t deserve to win then and they did the reverse to us this time. In the first half, it felt like we played some of our best football. We created quite a few good opportunities. Later in the second half, they piled a lot of men forward and probably got a bit fortunate. I think the first goal was probably a scuffed shot and the second one was like a pinball machine around the box that ended up going in. It often takes a few days to get over those kind of things. But everyone seems to be fine in training and we are ready to go again.”