Partick striker Scott McDonald aims to swap six-a-side for Hampden

Scott McDonald has been involved in a few comebacks in his career.

But helping Partick Thistle reach a Scottish Cup semi-final could top the lot.

It would mean the striker has gone from playing six-a-side football with friends to the National Stadium in a fortnight.

The 35-year-old was persuaded to come out of retirement by Jags’ boss and former Celtic team-mate, Gary Caldwell.

Tomorrow night he’ll line up against Hearts in a Scottish Cup sixth-round tie at Firhill.

© SNS Group / Alan Harvey

He said: “It’s unreal how quickly it has come about.

“If you had told me a couple of weeks ago that I’d have a chance to play at Hampden, I’d have said no chance.

“But it’s there for us to go and grab.

“We can enjoy this tie. That’s the key.

“The players can go out and express themselves, especially at home.

“It would be a lot more difficult if we were going to Tynecastle.

“There is a lot of pressure on us to get points in the league.

“I wouldn’t say this game is a free hit, but it’s an opportunity to go and have a real go and make a name for ourselves.

“We can get a day out for the fans in the semi-final and then you never know what happens.

“I never won the Scottish Cup during my time at Celtic. It’s one that always eluded me.

“It would be nice, especially now coming back, if we could do something special.”

Thistle’s priority, of course, is to avoid relegation in successive seasons.

They currently sit bottom of the Championship.

McDonald, however, believes they have enough to get out of trouble.

He went on: “No one is feeling sorry for themselves.

“One of the things that made me come back was that I had been training with the group and saw the quality, especially in the attacking areas.

“There’s no question there are a lot of Premiership players here

“I had to think about how I could help, and I was excited about it.

“We just have to reinforce a positive message and keep it simple.”

Although McDonald didn’t play professionally for eight months, he says there’s no question mark about his fitness.

If anything, he’s doing slightly less training now that he’s with Thistle.

He said: ‘‘I was always going to the gym after a kick-about during my time out.

“It’s been weird coming back into a proper training situation. When you’re doing individual work every day is pre-season – you are pushing your body to the limits.

“That’s the way I train anyway. A bit daft, but I always want to feel that pain.

“Now I have to hold back because we are preparing for the weekend.”