Hearts player branded 'brilliant' signing for SPFL club as he's handed strong backing after midweek error
The highly-rated Hearts talent is spending the season away from Tynecastle.
Hearts goalkeeper Liam McFarlane has been backed to recover from a difficult midweek moment at loan club Partick Thistle.
The Scotland U21s keeper will be on duty with Tony Docherty’s side over the coming weeks as he builds senior club experience at Championship level. McFarlane is highly-rated, impressing in previous loans to East Fife and Alloa Athletic, going to the World Cup with the senior Scotland squad as a training keeper over the summer.
A 1-0 loss to Stenhousemuir for Mark Wilson’s Jags came as McFarlane came for a cross, but didn’t get it, allowing Hamzad Kargbo to nod home from close range. Ben McPherson, a teammate at Firhill and with Scotland’s young team, insists the Hearts loanee has all the tools to bounce back as he has been an astute signing for Partick Thistle overall.
How is Liam McFarlane doing at Partick Thistle?
"Liam's been brilliant for us since coming in. I knew how good he was beforehand, so I'm not really surprised how well he's done. His distribution and shot-stopping are both very good. He's a big presence at the back and he's proved himself by being really solid.
"People can make mistakes in football. Their big striker has just nipped in front and Liam has tried his best to come out. But he's quite a calm character, so I'm sure he'll be fine. Liam is quite experienced already for his age. He's played a lot of games and he's a confident boy, so I'm sure he'll be fine."
Wilson thought the goal came alongside free-kick potential with McFarlane possibly fouled by the Stenhousemuir striker in the build-up, however, that hasn’t been used as an excuse for defeat. The Jags in third take on second-placed Raith Rovers at home on Saturday as they look to cut a five-point gap between themselves and Stenhousemuir.
Speaking after Tuesday night’s match, Partick Thistle gaffer Wilson said: "Obviously it's a sore one for us to take, but we need to be better in front of goal. We can't keep passing up chances inside the six-yard box because it will cost you. I felt their goal was a foul on Liam as their striker's arm came over the top of him and impacted him. But we shouldn't have to rely on something like that and I don't want to make excuses."
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