MARC TWADDLE believes Partick Thistle's midweek Challenge Cup first round bye can give them a vital edge for Saturday's maiden derby of the season against Clyde at Firhill.

The beleaguered Bully Wee have yet to record a win in three games and face a testing opening round visit from Queen of the South while Thistle will regroup after Saturday's fine home win against Livingston.

And Twaddle believes that is a massive plus for a Thistle side who suffered a disastrous double injury blow to key men Mark Roberts and Simon Donnelly.

He said: "Three games in a week is a tough way to open the league and then we have Clyde on Saturday in the first derby of the season. They have another tough one in the CIS Cup tonight with Queen of the South at their place, so again when you look at it that way getting the midweek off is a plus.

"We are going into the Clyde game looking for our third home win on the bounce and hoping to climb the table and keep going in the right direction. But you can never call a derby, all you can do is give 110% and hopefully we can make the most of home advantage.

"The fans were magnificent on Saturday against Livingston and we will need them behind us for the visit of Clyde. They came here and turned Thistle over last season in the final derby and there is no way we want that happening."

The Livingston victory provided Thistle's best performance under Ian McCall and Twaddle says he is not surprised that it has taken time for a squad that has seen 11 new faces introduced to gel.

The Jags' left-back said: "I know we maybe didn't look that great during pre-season but there has been a lot of bedding in to be done with 11 new faces coming in and that was what the pre-season programme was all about.

"But a draw and two home wins from our first three fixtures is a pretty decent start by anyone's standards and it was always about how we started the league season proper not what went before on the build-up."

Twaddle's own pre-season was disrupted by a thigh injury but despite a hugely impressive, and at times rampaging performance on the left flank of the Jags' backline, the 20-year-old says he is still finding his best form.

Twaddle said: "Getting the games obviously gets your match sharpness up and having had my pre-season disrupted by injury with the thigh strain that has been great.

"But I did feel quite strong on Saturday and at one point I was even playing in a centre forward's role so the fitness is coming back."

However, with Donnelly's torn groin likely to sideline him for over a month and Roberts a big doubt for the Clyde game with a hamstring strain, Twaddle admits that some of the shine was taken off the rout.

He said: "The injuries took some real gloss off the win. I think it is a plus that we have a bye in the first round of the Challenge Cup and the midweek off."