FIRHILL has been the place for thrills for most of the season, but the excitement levels will surely go off the scale this evening.

Nine years after their relegation, Partick Thistle stand on the brink of the top flight once again. One point from their four remaining Irn-Bru First Division games will effectively secure their promotion, with tonight expected to be the night they get it.

It is only a few days since Thistle took more than 6000 supporters to the Ramsdens Cup final in Livingston then attracted 8857 fans to their title decider with Morton, and another large gathering is expected for their penultimate home game of the term. The visit of Raith Rovers may not usually have the high-stakes drama of cup-final day or a head-to-head with their nearest challengers but this is no ordinary fixture for Thistle.

"It would be fantastic to do it at Firhill," Alan Archibald, the Thistle manager, said. "I think there will be a big crowd – I hope there is anyway –and there is a great atmosphere. It tells you something about the size of the club. The last time I saw a crowd like that was probably against Ayr when we got relegated in that do-or-die game. People will turn out if there is something to play for. There has been a good product on the pitch and the fans have been great. If we can get there, they will stick by us."

Thistle have been among the title contenders since the opening week of the campaign but it is only in the last week they have moved into a winning position. The 1-0 win over Morton last Wednesday enhanced their position at the summit, then a dramatic 2-1 victory at Airdrie on Saturday put them within touching distance.

March was the critical month, though, with six matches won and no points dropped during a gruelling schedule. "We had a horrible looking fixture list," Archibald said. "We had six games to play, including three in Fife. We knew it would make or break it and our away form was sticky. But we have come out of that with the chance to win the trophy at Firhill."

Only the most remarkable of collapses will deny Thistle now, with fixtures against Falkirk, Dunfermline Athletic and Dumbarton also giving them the chance to claim the point they need to finally kill off Morton's challenge. Archibald steadied the ship and set it cruising towards the finish line in the aftermath of Jackie McNamara's departure to Dundee United, with his players showing admirable spirit and strength of character to overcome the obstacles and, seemingly, complete the job they set their sights on in the summer.

"It has been a dream year for me," Stuart Bannigan, the Thistle and Scotland Under-21 midfielder, said. "You never expect to be so involved at the start of the year; you just work hard in pre-season and hope you play. The international call-up was out of the blue, it was a proud moment for me, but to get a first division medal as well would be great, especially at such a young age. People go through their whole careers and never win anything. The important thing for me was to play a big part in this."

With Thistle, and Bannigan, heading to the top flight next season, new challenges and new arenas will soon be taken on and explored. Several of the club's most influential performers, including captain Paul Paton, defender Stephen O'Donnell and forward Chris Erskine, are free to leave Firhill in a matter of weeks but Bannigan is hopeful that those out of contract players stay on for the foray into the unknown.

"There are quite a few boys out of contract," he acknowledged. "It depends what happens with them and who leaves and who comes in. The boys that are tied up under contract will be raring to go. We always believe we can do well, no matter what league we are in.

"There are a few boys that have never [played in the Premier League] and this could be their first chance at it. It will be good going to new stadiums and playing against the top opposition in Scotland but we have still got a game to win. We will talk about that if we win it."