Ryan Edwards urges Partick Thistle to keep aiming high as top six beckons

Ryan Edwards joined Thistle from Reading in 2015 and is closing in on 50 Jags appearances

Partick Thistle midfielder Ryan Edwards insists the Jags should continue looking up as they close in on a first Scottish Premiership top-six finish.

Thistle fought back from a goal down to draw with champions Celtic on Wednesday and can secure a top-half place by beating Motherwell on Saturday.

Edwards' side have a four-point lead over seventh-placed Kilmarnock with two games until the league splits.

"We need to focus on Saturday's game and put it to bed," he said.

"Four points in between sixth and seventh, six points to play for, anything can happen in this league.

"Three points from fifth, you have to say, 'we have to look up'. We have to be really positive and say, 'yeah, why not? Why can't we go catch them?'

"But first and foremost, we have to win on Saturday."

The Firhill side are three points behind Hearts, eight points off St Johnstone and 14 behind Rangers.

Thistle were promoted to the top flight for the inaugural season of the Premiership - previously the Scottish Premier League - and have finished tenth, eighth and ninth.

• Listen: Edwards on BBC's Scottish football podcast

"When we missed out [on the top six] last season, it hurt a lot so we'll be giving everything to make sure it's in our hands and that we get the job done and make sure we win the game," said Australia Under-23 cap Edwards on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.

"The way this league's gone this season - us being last at Christmas and now we're sixth, Dundee being way off it and then they were pushing for the top six - it's never over until it's over.

"We've shown that we can take points from Celtic. Kilmarnock can do it on Saturday.

"Rangers and Hearts showed that they're beatable now, they're not world beaters like they used to be so it's far from over but it's in our hands and it's important to go to Firhill on Saturday and beat Motherwell."