AS a native of Auchinleck, Kris Doolan is still better acquainted with the Scottish Junior Cup than its senior equivalent.

The Partick Thistle striker recalls attending his current stomping ground of Firhill to witness the storied Ayrshire giants capturing one of their record 10 victories in the annual junior showpiece, and even missed out on the chance to get his own hands on the trophy when he left to go senior at Thistle months before Talbot's 2009 cup win.

But perhaps the distinction is over-stated: firstly, junior sides are permitted to take part in the main draw these days - even if Talbot, Culter and Linlithgow Rose are already out of this year's competition. Then there is the fact that Doolan's first exposure to a senior cup final - scoring an ultimately futile 120th-minute equaliser, seconds after his team-mate Aaron Muirhead had been sent off for a full-on headbutt during last year's harum scarum Ramsdens Cup loss on penalties to Queen of the South - was reminiscent of those great junior cup final rammies of the 80s and 90s. This lunchtime's fourth- round meeting against Aberdeen is a rare chance for the player to write his name upon the Scottish Cup proper.

"Ever since I was young I can remember Auchinleck bringing the cup back and parading the bus around town," said the 27-year-old, who has now scored more than 50 goals for Thistle. "I left in the January window when they won the Scottish Junior Cup in 2009, but I don't look back with any regret - I was just pleased to make the jump and come here. I'm an Auchinleck boy so obviously I tracked the run, and I was delighted when they won it. I didn't get a medal or anything, but I went to watch. It was at Rugby Park and I live in Kilmarnock so it was easy enough for me to get along."

Doolan has scored five goals in 16 appearances for Thistle this season, but as well as both he and occasional strike partner John Baird have performed at times, the theory remains that the pair are too similar, not to mention small. Manager Alan Archibald tacitly admitted as much in pre-season in his pursuit of John Sutton and/or Kris Boyd, and the Thistle boss last night re-stated his intention to add a more physical, experienced striker in January, most likely on-loan from a bigger club south of the border. While certain players might have been put off by the suspicion that ­Thistle were relegation fodder, the club hopes their exploits to date can convince targets that they are in the SPFL to stay.

"I will be looking to bring one striker in," said Archibald. "We were looking before, and it has not changed. We have been really lucky that John Baird or Kris Doolan have not got injured because that is it in terms of our out-and-out strikers, although Christie Elliot and Kallum Higginbotham can also play there.

"They [Sutton or Boyd] would definitely have made a difference," the manager added. "We were interested, but were told they wouldn't come. There were a few others too and fair play to them. Those guys had a choice to make, with Boydy it wasn't about money, he wanted to just get back playing football, and it has paid off because he is right back in the Scotland squad.

"We knew established stars weren't really going to come to us, but we had to ask the question. Hopefully the way we have played in the first quarter maybe lets people know that we are not going to go straight back down. Whereas before they wouldn't have taken the chance, maybe we are a better option come January."

Having said that, Thistle are currently in a troubling period of form, and have issues with injury and suspension. Today's game provides Thistle with their third meeting with Aberdeen in their last five games - Thistle's strike force has so far been unable to penetrate the Dons' stingy defence in 3-0 and 4-0 reverses - and allows Archibald to reminisce about cup memories past with Derek McInnes, at Dundee United circa 2005. "We had a good cup run with Dundee United where we got to the Scottish Cup final," Archibald said, "but we lost 7-1 to Rangers in the League Cup semi-final in the same year and both me and Derek got hooked at half-time. So that wasn't very good."

While Archibald is holding his own in the Premiership, there were words of support for Allan Moore, with whom he sparred for the First Division title last season, prior to Moore's dismissal from Morton last week with the club bottom of the Championship.

"It is sad to see anyone losing their job and he was doing such a good job," said Archibald. "In the last three or so years he turned that club around, but it just shows you the difference a couple of months can make."