Kev: Beat the Glens or title win is a Mighty big hill to climb
No.1 FOR JUNIORS
KEVIN McDONALD has delivered a damningly blunt appraisal of Beith’s Super Premier Division championship hopes: “Lose to Glenafton and we can kiss the title goodbye.”
The 34-year-old – three times a winner of the top-flight honours with Irvine Meadow – is set to figure at the heart of the Mighty backline in the top-ofthe-table Bellsdale Park clash that is rightly deserving of match-of-the-day status.
Last night Kev said: “The notion has always been in my head that to win the league you have to finish above Auchinleck Talbot and they are currently six points better off than us from the same games played.
“So to potentially lose any more ground to them at this late stage of the season would leave us far too much to do and I say that even though we are facing a great run-in programme with six of our last seven fixtures at home.
“Points are going to be dropped and not just because the three teams ahead of us in the standings, Auchinleck, Glenafton and Rob Roy have all to play each other so we have to get ourselves into a position to take advantage of any slip-ups by stringing together a few wins starting with the Glens tomorrow.
“It’s clearly a massive game for us, however it’s arguably every bit as massive for them as they try to bounce back from their surprise 4-1 defeat by Largs Thistle last weekend.
“The two-legged Scottish Junior Cup semi-final against Bonnyrigg Rose is next up on their agenda and I’d imagine Craig McEwan will not want his club going into those games following back-to-back league defeats.
“Knowing a win would put the Glens back atop the table will have their players pulling out all the stops so neither team is going to lack for motivation.”
Outsiders might conclude the brakes were applied to Beith’s season as a direct result of the psychological effect of their Scottish Junior Cup exit at the hands of Auchinleck.
Especially given the fact that Johnny Millar’s men have drawn five times and won just one of the six league matches played since.
But the seasoned Kev thinks otherwise. He said: “I cannot accept our downturn in form being related to the Talbot defeat when the real reason is key players going off the boil.
“Earlier this season we were creating around 10 chances a game and scoring three or four of them whereas in recent weeks we have been carving out the same amount of openings but struggling to find the net with any consistency.
“It’s probably not far off the mark to say this loss of our cutting edge along with an inability to keep clean sheets (like Auchinleck) has cost Beith as much as eight points and it’s up to us as players to put things right.
Knowing there is not much amiss with his playing squad – Beith have lost only five games all season and just once on league duty – has team boss Millar convinced his troops can come with a late title charge.
HE SAID: “Drawn games have cost us dearly and the aim between now and the end of season is to rack up as many wins as possible and see where it gets us.
“Losing a 30 goals per season striker in Andy Reid on top of Kenny McLean’s appearances being restricted by injury has undoubtedly curbed our threat in front of goals and we now need one from Ross McPherson (12 goals), Thomas Collins (14) and Darren Christie (12) to give us an outside chance of finishing top.
“We’re probably fourth favourites among the challengers and simply have to win against a very strong and well organised Glenafton who will be every bit as determined to pick up the three points.
“I had great times there as a player and hope they can go on to win the Scottish Junior Cup, but I want them put to the sword for 90 minutes today.”
Glens gaffer McEwan is looking forward to the contest despite having a couple of key players posted missing.
He said: “Michael McCann trained alongside the other guys this week but this game is a week too soon for him and it’s best he is wrapped in cotton wool ahead of our first Bonnyrigg game. Everyone else is fit but a twogame suspension has kicked in to rule out Alan Cairns as a consequence of his red card at Largs Thistle last weekend and he will also sit out next Saturday.
Southy, who was himself sent from the dugout at Barrfields, went on: “I could not have asked for a better game than to be facing Beith on the back of one of our poorer displays.
“My players have tended to come up with a positive response when they have been guilty of allowing standards to slip so hopefully they can produce the goods against one of our main title rivals.
“Beith are a team I have never beaten as a manager so it’s time that particular hoodoo was put to bed.”