SCOTT McDonald says he is fit and ready to go after sealing a short-term deal yesterday to join Partick Thistle until the end of the season.
The former Celtic and Motherwell striker had been without a club since leaving Dundee United in the summer, but he has now been persuaded to pull the boots back on by former teammate Gary Caldwell.
And the 35-year-old former Australian international wants to allay any fears Jags supporters may have around his lack of match sharpness, saying that he is ready to shoot down Alloa this afternoon if he is called upon.
“I’m delighted to be here,” McDonald said. “Partick Thistle is a great club and it should be higher than where it is at this moment in time.
“It’s a Premiership team for me, and hopefully in time we can get there again, but the focal point now is to keep winning games as the team and the club have been doing in recent weeks.
“I’m here as an added help, and if I can support and keep things going and use my experience to help the younger ones as well while performing on the pitch, then I’ll be even happier.
“I’m fit and ready to go. More or less the last week has been about both parties having a look [in training] and seeing if I was up to speed or not. I passed the tests, so I’m ready to go if called upon.”
McDonald had previously resisted overtures to return to professional football this season, including an approach from Thistle boss Caldwell prior to Christmas.
He now feels that the time is right though to pull the boots back on, and he insists the hunger to get into the team and score goals is as prevalent as ever.
“People had spoken about it earlier in the season, and Gary and I had a conversation, but I just didn’t feel right at that moment,” he said.
“I’ve not been playing but I’ve been treating every single day like a pre-season anyway, so it’s always been there.
“Myself and Gary have been in contact throughout and we’ve been good friends since our time at Celtic.
“He felt I could add something and I did too, so we’re here and hopefully it’s a marriage made in heaven.
“The boys are a really good bunch and I’ve seen a massive change in terms of the whole environment, the attitude and the hunger this past week I’ve been in to what it was like previous to now.
“The gaffer has got them playing the way he wanted them to and that’s good to see.
“It’s good for me that the team is doing well. It’s a lot nicer to come into a winning environment, although it makes it harder to get in the team. That’s something I’ve never shirked away from, so if I can prove my worth to all these Partick Thistle fans then they will be happy and so will I.”
McDonald is hoping to use his vast experience not only to help out the younger forwards on the Thistle books like Aidan Fitzpatrick, but to help all of his teammates as they look to claw their way out of trouble at the bottom of the Championship.
“That’s exactly why I’m here, to help out,” he said.
“Young Fitzy has been brilliant this year and there’s been a lot of attention around him.
“My job is to help both on and off the park. I’ve got a lot of experience, I’ve been in relegation fights and Championship fights, so I’m more than equipped and ready psychologically and physically for this, and I want to show people that.
“The aim is to get on the pitch and score goals, I’ve never lost the hunger for that and I think you can see on the pitch sometimes that I can be demanding.
“But I learned a little bit as well in my senior career to chill out and help those around about me.”
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