Ian McCall has hailed two of his young Partick Thistle stars, Rangers loanee Kieran Wright and stand-in centre-back Mouhamed ‘Sena’ Niang .
The Rangers prospect arrived in the transfer window but involvement with the Scotland U21s has meant he’s had a stop-start beginning at Firhill. But now he’s claimed his spot as the Jags number one.
Wright has had those at Rangers coming to watch him in recent weeks and McCall says he’s been a big player in his team during a time where Thistle have had as many as a full XI out via injury.
“At the start Jamie Sneddon had the jersey but that was as much down to Kieran being away with the U21s,” said McCall. “He’s come in and he’s done really well. I would say that he’s not really had much to do in the last two games.
“My opinion on goalies is that most of them can make a lot of good saves but it’s the easy things – catching the ball, throwing it early, kicking, talking – he’s been excellent at. He’s in a good place and he’s had a good few weeks but it’s very early days.
“Rangers are like that. I think there have been a lot of changes behind the scenes at Rangers that a lot people don’t know about and in my experience – we had taken [Stephen] Kelly at Ayr and there was people watching him all the time.
“Kirky phones me all the time and I speak to Gary [McAllister] every week. There’s a constant process involved there, we fill in reports on how they’re doing and things like that.”
Another impressing at Firhill is ‘Sena’, the midfielder filling in admirably at centre-back in recent matches.
Speaking ahead of the match with Dumbarton in League One, McCall says his previous experience in the league with Montrose has helped massively: “It’s early days but it’s really good for us that he can play different positions.
“He started out at centre-back and he has grown into it. There are one or two bits where he’s a wee bit impetuous or trying to win everything but in the second half [against Montrose] he was outstanding.
“He did really, really well. Physically, he’s really imposing so who knows where he’ll play in the fullness of time. He’s certainly one that we want to keep here.
“It was really good for Sena and Blair Lyons as well. Last year he came into train with us and he was flying. He’s taken a wee while with full-time training and he’s picked up a couple of injuries and maybe his confidence has taken a hit, so maybe he’s taken a wee while to come to terms with it.
“Sena has been great; he’s been like a breath of fresh air and he’s got a great attitude. That’s one of the things that had to be changed here. We’re getting there – it’s a slow process, but we’re getting there.”