Partick Thistle frontman Christie Elliott's first 90 minutes of the season finally came in Tuesday night's 2-0 win over St Johnstone.

Now recovered from a fracture to his sacrum - the bone attached to the coccyx at the base of the spine - he is hoping to build further match fitness as the Jags' season steps up a gear in the run-in to the SPFL Premiership split.

The Firhill side are in the midst of a run which includes seven games in three weeks with designs on the top half of the table. Dundee sit in sixth place, three points and two places ahead of Thistle but having played two games more.

"The games in hand we have could become important, but I'm just delighted to be recovered and back playing again," said Elliot.

The spinal injury flared in Thistle's final pre-season game last summer, a 1-1 draw with Rotherham United. The 24-year-old, who has played in midfield and even at wing-back for the Jags, couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, though found general running particularly uncomfortable. Scans on his muscles proved inconclusive before the hairline fracture of his sacrum was found and treated.

"The physio here has been brilliant," said the Englishman. "I went home for a couple of weeks after the injury just to take in what had happened," he added.

"After that I came back and it's been a case of getting stronger, and better, every day and now I'm back feeling 100 per cent and it's thanks to the physio - hopefully he can keep the rest of the lads on the field for the rest of the season.

"All the boys and the gaffer have kept me involved, even when I was out, and I've just tried to stay as positive as possible."

Elliott 's first full match since the last game of Thistle's pre-season schedule co-incided with a Jags debut for Celtic loan signing Aidan Nesbitt. The midfielder arrived at Firhill in a temporary switch to boost his first-team experience, just as Elliott did when he moved to Albion Rovers during his early days in Maryhill.

"Aidan's done well since he arrived and he has fit in as part of the squad already. He's a talented lad and has been showing that in training. It'll be good for us and for him, being here."