PARTICK Thistle midfielder Gary Harkins is hoping he can help revive the Jags’ season after admitting the club helped save his career.

The playmaker returned to Firhill last week on an 18-month contract, nearly 10 years after departing Thistle in a £150,000 switch to Dundee.

Harkins joined Partick for the first time in 2007 and produced a rich vein of form following a frustrating spell south of the border with Blackburn Rovers and Grimsby.

The 33-year-old, who has also played for St Mirren, Ayr United and Morton before joining Queen of the South last summer, concedes his time in Maryhill helped him rediscover his love for the game.

Harkins said: “It was probably one of my favourite times in football. If the Thistle years had not had happened then I would have chucked it, I loved being part of it and being here.

“It was always good fun coming back to Thistle, the fans gave me some pantomime booing but I think I did all right, I got the club some money when I moved on.”

Harkins is set to make his debut in Saturday’s trip to Dundee United and will attempt to ease Thistle’s relegation woes, with Gary Caldwell’s side five points adrift of safety.

Speaking to Jag Zone, he added: “It’s a really good team that are underachieving a bit at the moment, so hopefully we can lift that a bit.

“It’s a really tough league and it’s about doing what we can do every week and hopefully we can pick up some points.”