Partick Thistle boss Alan Archibald hopes Lyle Taylor will be the first of several players arriving at Firhill in January.

The Jags have agreed a deal to take the Sheffield United striker on loan until the end of the season.

And, with injuries and suspensions beginning to take their toll, Archibald admits further reinforcements are needed over the coming weeks.

He said: "With the way things are going with injuries and suspensions, we will probably have to get a few in.

"Gary Fraser is going back to Bolton, Henoc Mukendi will be going back to Liverpool and Sean Welsh and Isaac Osbourne are out for the foreseeable future."

Taylor has netted just twice so far this term after joining the League One outfit in the summer.

But, having scored 29 goals for Falkirk last season, Archibald believes the capture of the 23-year-old will give his whole squad a boost.

He said: "Hopefully he will bring goals. He was successful in his spell at Falkirk.

"His attributes are his predatory instinct to go and score goals and he knows where to be at the right times. He did that at Falkirk.

"He's also got a good touch and he can give us something different to what we've got here.

"It gives us a bit of competition and hopefully it gives the rest of the group confidence that we are signing good players and it can push us on."

Having impressed in the First Division last season, Archibald has confidence in Taylor's ability to produce the goods in the Scottish Premiership.

He added: "He has scored goals in the cup as well against Premier League teams so I've no reason to think that he can't do it here.

"Especially with the way we have been playing and creating chances of late, I'd like to think if we keep on creating those chances, he will get on the end of things."

Partick travel to Celtic Park on New Year's Day aiming to end a run of nine games without a win and bounce back from a crushing 5-1 defeat at the hands of Motherwell.

Celtic remain unbeaten domestically this season but Archibald hopes his players will rise to the occasion when they make the short trip to the east end of Glasgow.

He said: "It gives the players a lift to go to Parkhead.

"That's the reason you want promotion, to go to grounds like Parkhead and play in front of big crowds.

"That will pick them up but we know we will have to work ever so hard and keep our shape as a team to get anything at Parkhead."