GERRY BRITTON has admitted that he might be forced to spend much of this season on the Partick Thistle bench.
The Jags co-boss is recovering from a routine knee op but believes he will have a real battle on his hands to reclaim his starting jersey.
Britton groaned: "The big plus from Saturday's win over Airdrie was that both our strikers got on the scoresheet and our main goal threat from midfield, Jamie Mitchell, also netted. With big Armand One also in the mix, it is not going to be easy to force my way back in.
"However, whereas at Clyde in the league opener, we created plenty of chances and failed to take them, this time we cashed in. That is four goals for Ramon and I think he is showing already how valuable he will be for us. His goal on Saturday was a classic striker's finish.
"After he played the 1-2 with Kenny Milne, he pushed on into the box and that gave Kenny the option for the cross. Ramon's finish was top drawer.
"I also thought Leigh Hinds took his goal well and it's great for him to open his account for us. I think Ramon and Leigh will be a real handful for any defence.
"As for Jamie Mitchell, his goal was no more than he deserved. He got himself into some fantastic positions against Clyde last week and was really unlucky. This time he got the break and had another fine performance."
But the fans' favourite has admitted that the form of his strikers means he is in no rush to hurry back. He said: "I've started some light jogging but it will be another two to three weeks before I'm back in full training. There's no way you can rush these things.
"In any case, our strikers seem to be doing well enough without me!"
Meanwhile, the Jags will get their first taste of the New Douglas Park artificial surface when they train there tomorrow in preparation for Saturday's clash.
Britton revealed he has no worries over the Fieldturf surface. "It is an improvement on the surface at Dunfermline. We're training there tomorrow morning, and, in any case, we train on an artificial surface at the Firhill complex, so it is nothing new to the boys."