CONOR SAMMON says he is likely to in the doghouse if he shoots down former club Kilmarnock this Saturday, but he is prepared to take the consequences if it means three points for Partick Thistle.

Sammon’s wife Caroline is an avid Kilmarnock supporter, but he hopes that his other half will be putting her blue and white leanings to the side for one day at least.

The striker admits it is a strange situation to go into such an important game against a side he himself has such depth of feeling towards, but he insists that the only thing on his mind when he steps out at Firhill will be getting a crucial win.

“It’s a very unusual feeling, because I have a real soft spot for Kilmarnock given my time there,” said Sammon. “I even met my wife there in my first spell. She’s a Killie fan, so I’ve been having a little bit of a laugh with her this week. 

“Ultimately, she wants the best for me, so she will have to put her allegiances to the side come Saturday, which will be difficult for her to do probably. We’ll see how it goes! It could be the case I end up on the couch on Saturday night, but that would be a price worth paying to get the three points.

“There’s loads of lads there that I’ve played with and know really well from my time there last season especially. I’ve got so many good memories of playing for Kilmarnock, but the victory for Thistle is the most important thing.”

The magnitude of the game, even given the early stage of the season, is not lost on Sammon or his Thistle team-mates.

Far from feeling the pressure though, he says that Alan Archibald’s players are relishing the opportunity to give their season a real shot in the arm by pulling away from the league’s bottom side.

“It’s too early to be talking about six-pointers or anything like that, but we know it’s an important game given the form of both teams and our league positions,” he said. “But it’s a huge opportunity for us in front of our home fans to go out and put on a real performance to get those three points and show what we can do.”

Meanwhile, Paul Hartley has assured Rory Loy that he will be a pivotal part of his plans at Falkirk after denying the pair had a bust-up at Dundee. 

Loy, 29, was signed for the Dens Park outfit by Hartley in the summer of 2015 and, despite a bright start to his career in Tayside, the striker soon fell out of favour behind deadly duo Kane Hemmings and Greg Stewart. 

He was farmed out on loan to St Mirren for the tail end of last term in search of first-team football before joining the club on a permanent basis in the close season. 

However, Hartley is adamant there will be no hard feelings and believes he can help Loy – yet to find the net in his second spell with the club – hit 20 goals this term. 

He said: “There has never been a fallout between me and Rory, we had a good chat when I came in on Monday. Rory had a very good start to his time at Dundee and then picked up an injury. With the form of Kane Hemmings and Greg [Stewart] at the time, it was hard to get him back in.”

Elsewhere Raith Rovers have appointed two new directors as part of their latest boardroom shake-up. 

David Sinton has been named vice chairman of the League One leaders, while Bill Clark will take on the role of company secretary.