GARY FRASER is determined to repay manager Alan Archibald's faith in him and maintain his place at the heart of the Partick Thistle midfield.

The former Hamilton Accies youngster has made an impressive impact at Firhill after joining the Jags on loan from Bolton.

He has started both of Thistle's SPFL Premiership matches against Dundee United and Ross County this season, with fellow summer signings Mark Kerr and Isaac Osbourne having to settle for a place on the bench.

Archibald is a huge admirer of Fraser's talents, and the 19-year-old is eager to prove his worth for the in-form top-flight new boys.

Fraser said: "It is brilliant for me, especially for someone of my age to be playing at this level.

"I am delighted to be playing and hopefully I can keep doing well and stay in the team.

"The manager has brought in seasoned professionals like Mark and Isaac and he has put a lot of faith in me to play in the first two games.

"It shows that he believes in me, which I am delighted about. I know I need to keep working hard to keep my place in the team, though.

"The manager has been playing me and I need to show that he is right to be picking me. I want to do well for him and Thistle."

After starring in the Premiership curtain-raiser against United at Firhill, Fraser kept his place in the Jags engine room for their trip to Ross County on Saturday.

A first-half strike from Kris Doolan and quickfire brace from Steven Lawless after the break clinched a memorable 3-1 win for Archibald's side as they secured their first league win of the campaign.

And Fraser hopes their terrific start to the season is the sign of things to come for the Jags.

He said: "It was a brilliant day for us on Saturday. The boys played really well and it was great to get the win away from home.

"We did really well and we deserved to win the game. We knew it would be a difficult place to go and get a result, but we were confident that we could win the game.

"We were pleased with the performance against Dundee United and we went up there with a lot of confidence that we could win. Thankfully, that turned out to be the case."

Fraser added: "It is great to get our first three points on the board this season and to win away from home as well.

"We know how important a good start is, so we are delighted with how the first two games have gone and we want to keep that going."

With four points on the board from their opening two fixtures, confidence is high in the Thistle camp after an eye-catching return to Scotland's top tier.

Next up for the Jags is the visit of Hearts on Friday night, with Archibald's side aiming to go 19 points clear of the crisis-hit capital club.

A bumper crowd of almost 8000 fans flocked to Firhill for the United clash, and Fraser hopes Archibald's side can thrive on the big stage once again.

He said: "It is another huge game for us. We will prepare properly for it in training this week and we are looking forward to it.

"Hopefully, we can put in another good performance and win the game. You can't take anything for granted. Every game in this league is a hard game and Hearts are a good side.

"It means nothing that they are 16 points behind us, it is all about Friday night and how the teams play.

"It was brilliant to play in front of such a big crowd against Dundee United.

"Hopefully, the fans turn out in the same numbers and we can give them another good performance and win."