ALAN ARCHIBALD believes Partick Thistle's draw with leaders St Johnstone has done enough to keep the pressure on the First Division leaders.

The Perth side face Dunfermline tonight at McDiarmid Park hoping to cash in on their game in hand over Thistle.

However, Archie is hopeful that, with the gap between the Jags and Derek McInnes's men still just three points, some title tension may trouble St Johnstone against the Pars.

"It was a great point for us at St Johnstone as it keeps us right in it," said the Thistle captain.

"You have to be honest and say that if we had lost, and with them having the game in hand tonight, then it probably would have been too much. However, now it is still in the melting pot.

"St Johnstone have Dunfer-mline twice in five days and there is still a wee bit of pressure on them. So, who knows how valuable that point could prove in the long run?"

Archibald has been immense as battling Thistle have strung together an unbeaten seven-game sequence on the road in 2009.

His consistency level and reading of the game, especially in a series of perfectly-timed interceptions, amply demonstrated that Archie has the class still to operate in the SPL.

The Firhill defender, who won the First Division title with the Jags seven years ago, reckons the Perth pacesetters may find the hardest part of their title bid comes in trying to finish the job.

"There is no way that Dunfermline will lie down tonight," said Archibald. "You saw last Saturday that the St Johnstone fans got on their backs a wee bit.

"I have been through this when Thistle won the First Division back in season 2001-02 and it was a struggle to get over the finishing line.

"The good thing is that if St Johnstone do slip up, we have kept close enough to them to benefit."

The Jags' talismanic stopper reckons the goalscoring form of Thistle's star midfielder Gary Harkins has been crucial to keeping Thistle in the Saints slipstream.

Archie said: "The thing that separates Gary from the rest is that he has the skill to break down defences and make things happen. He has 12 goals from midfield for us now, and that really is a great return."

He added: "The great thing about his goal on Saturday was that he kept getting beyond the strikers, eventually getting the chance to get in their box and he took it.

"To have that kind of player in your midfield, particularly when the forwards have had a lean time of it, is a big bonus for us."

With Thistle due to meet Queen of the South at Firhill on Saturday in another must-win clash, the Firhill captain has no doubt that the home support have a role to play.

Thistle took an impressive throng of around 1500 to Perth and their powerful backing at the end clearly lifted the Jags.

"The belief is that we can still win most of our games," said Archibald. "That has to be the target. Queen of the South will not be easy by any manner of means at Firhill at the weekend.

"They have so many good players that, even although they are out of it, these guys will still be desperate to get three points from us.

"However, I thought our support was tremendous at Perth, their backing at the end really lifting the boys. If they can keep that level of intensity and passion going a bit longer, then it could play a crucial part for us over the run-in."