KYLE TURNER is determined to kick on and build on a promising debut season at Partick Thistle by adding more goals to his game this year – and the playmaker reckons he can do just that thanks to the strength of Ian McCall’s squad.
Alongside captain Ross Docherty, Jags stalwart Stuart Bannigan and Rangers loanee Cole McKinnon, Turner finds himself vying for a starting spot in Thistle’s three-man midfield. Each member of the quartet has their own strengths and weaknesses and Turner believes that no matter who gets the nod to play, they will form a formidable trio in the middle.
The 24-year-old has been impressed with the addition of McKinnon and reckons the Ibrox youngster’s skill-set compliments his own, and believes the midfield’s on-pitch understanding is improving with every game – something that will help to bring the best out of him.
Turner said: “Cole is really good to play next to, he’s really athletic. He likes to get forward with me, which is always good. It’s good having someone like Doc – when it’s me, Doc and Cole – who sits behind you and gives you a license to get forward.
“The way we play is that we rotate. Sometimes you find yourself as the deepest one and maybe Doc is away. That’s how we want to play – we want to be fluid, try to get forward and create goals. But on the other side you need to do your duties, work hard and getting back into your defensive shape.
“There is a good understanding between the four of us – Banzo as well – and it is a good mix. We chop and change and it’s just about getting to know how each other play. Once you get that, it’s about trying to perform and play well.”
“I feel that this year is the time to kick on from last season,” he added. “I got a few assists last year but my goals weren’t good enough, so this year I am trying to contribute with both and get a few more goals.”
That understanding with his fellow midfielders should help Turner add a few more goals to his game but the former Dunfermline player is also enjoying linking up with players further up the park, too.
Wide players like Scott Tiffoney, Stevie Lawless and Aidan Fitzpatirck, as well as centre-forward Brian Graham, are allowing Turner to become more of a threat in the final third.
He said: “It is exciting – getting the ball forward into wide areas and trying to make runs off people like Stevie, Tiff and Fitzy, who can find you with a pass. Playing off big Brian is good.
“It’s just about consistently doing that and being a threat every week. Scoring goals and assisting goals is what I aim for at the top end of the pitch.”
Turner’s deliveries from set-pieces, in particular, have been an important weapon in Thistle’s attacking arsenal. The playmaker had one of the highest assist tallies in the Championship last season, in large part due to his laser-guided deliveries from corners, and he is hoping to follow suit again this season – starting this afternoon against Cove Rangers.
“There are a few big boys in our team so it’s about getting the ball into a good area and attacking it,” he explained. “[Kevin] Holty has had a few but they’ve just not gone in yet. But hopefully against Cove they drop for us. We know it is going to be a tough game.”
