Partick Thistle assistant manager Brian Kerr was delighted with Scott McDonald’s debut goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win Alloa Athletic which moved the Jags out of the Ladbrokes Championship’s bottom two.
After midfielder Blair Spittal gave the visitors the lead in the fourth minute, former Celtic and Motherwell forward McDonald came off the bench to double Thistle’s lead in the 79th minute with a drive from inside the box to leave Wasps a point off second-bottom Falkirk and the Maryhill men two clear.
Manager Gary Caldwell served a one-match suspension and afterwards Kerr told his club’s official website: “You can’t ask for much more than that, can you?
“We brought him in for a reason and that was to score goals, which he’s started doing immediately.
“He had three or four chances and when his match sharpness is built up, he’ll probably take all of those – but to get one is still excellent for the team.”
Kerr insists the absence of Caldwell from the technical area did not affect the team’s preparation.
He said: “So much of what we do happens through the week so we’ve been preparing for the match as normal, even though Gary wasn’t in the dugout with me .
“We have our game plan ready well in advance and the manager has plenty of time to make sure the players know what they need to do.
“On top of that, a few hours before the game, at our pre-match meal, he got to speak to them and give some final words ahead of the game.
“Overall, whether he’s on the sidelines or in the stand it comes down to the players to perform and they did their part today in what was a brilliant result.
“The aim for us is to keep climbing and try to get away from those bottom two spots.
“We’re now above Alloa and Falkirk and we aren’t too far away from the likes of Morton and Dunfermline.
“Ultimately, we just need to keep up our current form and we’ll continue to move up the league.”
Ayr United missed the chance to go top of after a goalless draw at Morton, while Dundee United moved to within three points of leaders Ross County with 1-0 a win over Queen of the South
Attacker Nicky Clark’s 40th minute penalty, after Barry Maguire brought down Peter Pawlett to earn a red card, gave the Terrors all three points.
Dunfermline Athletic secured their first win under head coach Stevie Crawford, by beating Inverness at East End Park.
The points remained in Fife after Joe Thomson scored in the 47th minute with a long-range drive.
