Lets'osa wasting no time in making big impression at Partick Thistle

The Herald Scotland

4 days ago

Tuesday night's 2-0 win over Queen of the South would be the acid test. The fans had already taken to Lets'osa's personable nature, but it is his performances on the park that will ultimately define his time in Maryhill. The Lesotho-born player was pitched into the starting XI for his debut as fans got to see the club's latest recruit in a competitive game for the first time.
He had the entire stadium rooting for him within minutes. Somehow, his efforts on the pitch were even more enthusiastic than his responses in that interview. He was seemingly everywhere; marauding around the park, taking his man on, charging forward to join the attack at every opportunity.
He would get his reward around half an hour into his debut. Moments after Aidan Fitzpatrick had slammed Thistle ahead with a free-kick, the same player found himself bearing down on goal with no one to stop him making it 2-0. The winger drove at goal, spotting a lung-busting run from Lets'osa before squaring it to his team-mate for the simplest of finishes.
It capped off a fine debut for Lets'osa – known as 'T' among his team-mates – and the man himself could not have been more pleased. Although, one suspects that he would still have been remarkably chipper had Thistle lost the game. He doesn't just play with a smile on his face; he appears to live with a huge grin permanently etched across it.
'Of course I'm happy,' Lets'osa said after the 2-0 win, which could have easily been six or seven. 'All glory to the Lord Jesus. He gave me the strength and peace on the pitch. I was able to play my happiest game.
'I think everybody was able to see that in the stands, from the staff, from the team-mates who encouraged me on the pitch. So I'm really happy.
'To be honest, I think after the interview I already won the fans' hearts! I think I had more pressure to be able to deliver on the pitch, but I did my best. I hope they enjoyed it. Not just myself, but the team performance. We're here to play for the team.
'Hopefully I can play more than 60 [minutes going forward]! I need to keep my legs strong, keep my self ticking over. I'm really happy to even just play, to be honest. I'm so happy, so blessed. I'm really happy everything's going so well so far.'
Lets'osa certainly put in the hard yards for his debut goal. He sprinted more than half the pitch's length in order to provide an option for his team-mate – although he admits he wasn't sure if Fitzpatrick would simply go it alone, rather than slipping him in.
Ts'oanelo Lets'osa scores on his Partick Thistle debut (Image: Partick Thistle) 'To be honest, when I started sprinting all the way through the pitch, I was like, 'You have to now!' after me running,' Lets'osa laughs. 'No, I'm joking. I didn't know he was going to pass it, but it just shows the team bond, how we are close and we're becoming close on the pitch as well. I was really happy just for him to pass the ball to me like that.
'It does look far on the pitch, but the coach has been training us very well. Us as a team, we're all fit. I believe the fans saw that [against Queens]. Our pressing – Craw [Robbie Crawford], Logan [Chalmers], Fitzy, Tony [Watt] - we all did our work and it gave our defence such an easy job at the back, to be honest.
'It gave us confidence being able to show how good we are in the press and how organised we were. I think we're just disciplined. If we keep that going for the next couple of games, I think they'll be more prosperous games.'
Both head coach Mark Wilson and assistant Alex Rae were highly vocal throughout Tuesday's Premier Sports Cup fixture as they issued tactical instructions from the sidelines. Lets'osa is particularly grateful for Rae's expertise, given the fine playing career the former Falkirk, Sunderland and Wolves midfielder enjoyed.
'Definitely,' said Lets'osa. 'I always like to ask questions, just to be able to learn. It's always good to have someone you can learn from. Someone who's been at that level, who's more experienced than you. Just to take tips and just to guide you.
'His wisdom can help me on the pitch. He also helped me on the pitch [against Queens], scanning, keeping the game simple. It's an easy game, but sometimes it can be difficult to play the easy game. He's teaching me a lot, so I'm really happy to have him, and Mark as well. It's been amazing.'
You'll be hard pressed to find a happier man in Glasgow – heck, in Scotland – than Thistle's latest recruit. His infectious positivity is plainly apparent, and he says the warm welcome he has received has helped him to settle in quickly.
'I would just say the peace that I feel being at the club, being with the team-mates, the coaching staff - I don't think I can ever go away from that,' Lets'osa replied when asked if anything stood out from his first week in Maryhill.
'Every time, from the first moment I came in, the training, the coach speaking with me, the boys just encouraging me, just being good lads at the end of the day. Also, then seeing the fans on the open day [last Sunday] and now seeing them together on the pitch. So I think that's the one thing I can say that's really remarkable, if that's the right word to say.'
It's difficult to think of a more suitable word to sum up Lets'osa's first week with Thistle.