McKean: Jags win sends out statement

Scott McKean reckons East Kilbride Thistle’s win over Girvan at the weekend has sent out a statement to the rest of the Junior game.

The 22-year-old scored one and set up the other two goals in their 3-2 victory over the Super Premier side, helping the Jags record the shock of the round.

And McKean says the result proves the team Alan Paterson has assembled at the Showpark – almost entirely from the amateur ranks – are a force to be reckoned with.

He said: “I think we have found our feet in the Junior game now and this sends out a statement to other teams.

“So many teams think we will be push overs before we play them, but we’ve showed we are not and we are loving playing at this level.

“We went there (to Girvan) as underdogs, but after beating Benburb 2-0 in the league the week before we were feeling confident.

“People have written us off all season, but that just spurs us on and we enjoy the challenge of facing the bigger teams. Playing under Patsy has given the boys a lot of belief as well.

“I know shocks happen in the cup, but I didn’t think we were lucky.

“We outplayed Girvan for most of the game, we wanted it more and our players had more desire.”

The Jags can enjoy their celebrations for a little while longer as they have a free weekend before their next match on November 11, when they travel to Shotts in the West of Scotland Cup.