Partick Thistle: boss Alan Archibald hails win over Hearts

Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald felt his side deserved their 2-0 away win against Hearts at Tynecastle and hopes to keep up the momentum in 2014.

Goals from Lyle Taylor and Aaron Taylor-Sinclair earned the Jags their fourth win of the league campaign and a boost out of the relegation zone.

"We worked ever so hard," Archibald told BBC Scotland.

"It's been a long time coming, a victory like that. I thought we showed the ugly side today."

Both of Thistle's goals were scored in an eventful first half, with Taylor benefiting from a Kallum Higginbotham delivery and Taylor-Sinclair heading in as half-time approached.

Archibald said his players demonstrated a determination to put their recent poor run of form behind them and banish the New Year's Day memory of losing 1-0 against Celtic.

"That's what Lyle does - it was a good flick-on from Kallum Higginbotham from a long ball. He got on the end of it, flicked on and Higgy got a good goal," said Archibald.

"I don't think we played as well as we have done, but I thought we deserved the win.

"Clinically, we've not had enough clean sheets, we've not defended well enough and we've been punished for naive defending. I thought we stood up today, they defended well.

"It mixes it up at the bottom and we can try and drag the teams just above us into it.

"There's two or three around us, so we'll try and make it interesting."

Regarding the prospect of introducing some fresh faces to the Thistle squad during the January transfer window, Archibald pointed to the red card handed out to midfielder Stuart Bannigan in the dying minutes of Sunday's game as a role requiring some support.

Archibald added: "We're trying, and, with a man sent off today, it leaves us light in that area, we'll need to sort that out."