Partick Thistle assistant manager Alan Archibald says Rangers loan duo Cole McKinnon and Tony Weston getting minutes alongside a host of academy products was the key thing from their friendly against Motherwell.
Ian McCall's side had a free weekend amid their Premier Sports Cup group stage campaign and slotted in another match ahead of their Championship season. Joe Efford's goal sealed a 1-0 win for the Steelmen in a fitness-building exercise at Firhill. Rangers academy pair McKinnon and Weston were officially announced just hours before Wednesday's cup clash at Kilmarnock and the Thistle assistant says them and youngsters in Maryhill were big benefactors from more minutes.
Archibald said: “It was a good workout for us because it enabled us to get 90 minutes for a few players who needed it, like Darren Brownlie who hadn’t played a full game since coming back from his cruciate injury. It was great to get 90 minutes for the two Rangers lads because they hadn’t had that.
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"Tony came on Monday and then Cole was Tuesday and hadn’t even met the players so that was a big benefit.
“It didn’t have the same intensity as a Premier Sports Cup game but it also gave us the chance to give game time to the younger ones."
Thistle are second in Group B and are two points behind leaders Kilmarnock with a game in hand ahead of matches with Fraserburgh and Montrose at home this week.
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