Brian Graham admits he is honoured to have been named Partick Thistle captain – and the centre-forward is determined to mark the accolade by lifting silverware before he calls time on his career.
This afternoon’s Viaplay Cup fixture against Falkirk will be the first time that Graham leads his team-mates out as fully-fledged club captain, and he will be accompanied by two special mascots to mark the occasion – his eight-year-old son, Daniel, and his 12-year-old daughter, Sofia.
“It’s a real privilege to be finally given the armband at this club,” Graham said. “We’ve been through so much together. Now it’s the final piece of jigsaw now that I’ve been made captain so I’m really honoured to be given it.
“When I didn’t know if I was going to be made captain I said it didn’t matter if I’ve got the armband on or not. I would try to lead on the pitch regardless. I already took that responsibility throughout my career anyway.
“This is the first time I’ve been appointed club captain anywhere so it’s a great honour. My little boy Daniel is buzzing.
“Ian McCall actually told me once I was going to become captain and then he brought Ross Docherty in and made Doc captain. He’s a good friend and was a good leader so it didn’t really bother me at that time. But it’s great that I’ve now been given that extra responsibility that comes with that role.
“I’ve got a two-year contract and I’m club captain I want to go and win something. I’ve got aspirations to win something and really put a stamp on my legacy as captain of this football club. I want to look back in years to come and think I really did something at that club. That’s my target.
“My daughter’s 12 and she’s not too keen on [being a mascot] as she thought she was too tall. I told her she was taller than Stevie Lawless so that was fine! But she’s going to do it and I think it will be a great memory to look back on.
“It’s the first home game as club captain with my two kids walking out with me, so I’m really looking forward to that.
“They go to most of the homes games and Daniel has started to go to some of the away games too. He went on the train to Kelty Hearts and him and his pal Robbie were behind the goals singing Thistle songs when I scored!”
First-team players Scott Robinson and Jack McMillan are still recovering from respective knocks and this afternoon’s cup clash will probably come too soon for them, but Thistle fans are likely to see a new face in the matchday squad with Sallu Turay – who signed on as a modern apprentice earlier this summer – in line for his first taste of competitive senior football.
“I’m not sure if they will be back in time or not,” said Kris Doolan when asked about McMillan and Robinson. “We don’t want to rush them because it is so early and the younger guys are doing well – look at Zander MacKenzie at full-back.
“Jack is on the way back and was back in training the other day but he was still feeling a bit stiff, his ankle stiffens up because he is just coming back from an injection, which is normal.
“If he takes an extra couple of days, then fine. But if he needs an extra day or two, this stage of the season is when you give guys like that that wee bit of time because then they come back at 100 per cent and we are not pushing them too hard.
“Sallu will hopefully come back in as well. He is one of the younger lads who brings a lot of pace and he is a boy I am excited to see. Even in Under-18s football I didn’t see an awful lot of him but he has got pace to burn and is somebody who will inject an awful lot of pace. He had broken his hand but he’s healed now and will hopefully be on the bench.”
