Cup loss may lift Strain on Buffs as title rivals Kilby loom on horizon
NOT for a minute would I suggest saying within earshot of Kilwinning Rangers supporters that their side’s Scottish Junior Cup demise at the hands of Bo’ness United might prove a blessing in disguise.
Yet even diehard Abbey Park followers cannot fail to have been enamoured by Saturday’s 4-1 defeat of Arthurlie which strengthened their claim on second spot and also raised hopes of the Buffs going atop the Super Premier pile if they get the better of third-placed Kilbirnie Ladeside this coming weekend.
Suddenly the outlook is looking so much brighter for Chris Strain and his playing charges after the gloom and doom that ensued in the wake of their comprehensive 3-0 Scottish defeat up at Newtown Park though team boss Strainy is not getting carried away with overseeing a seventh win in nine topflight outings to date.
He insisted: “League championships are not won at this stage of the season but they can be lost and we are now facing a crunch run of festive games with the trip to Kilbirnie followed by Pollok, Beith and Auchinleck Talbot.
“We face a difficult starter at Valefield where we ran out 4-2 winners in an Ardagh Cup tie that was our opening game of the season against a Kilbirnie side that gave us a going over for 45 minutes before we came back.
“Budgie McGhie’s team are markedly improved from back then and have emerged as a title challenger in their own right with a string of results against the top teams so it’s going to take a repeat of our performance against Arthurlie if we are to have any chance of taking something from the game .”
Strain opted for a handful of changes against the Barrhead outfit and his recalls for Joe Coleman, Rikky Hanvey, Jamie Whyte , Michael Wardrope and Ben Lewis were rewarded by what he described as “our best performance of the season.”
He lauded: “Questions had been asked of the character of my players after our poor showing at Bo’ness and we had been likened to a top of the ground team with too many football playing types that would be found wanting if the going got tough.
“I have to say their response was nothing short of excellent and they showed a determination and a bit of steel that had previously been lacking.
“However the test now is to show they can do it week in and week out particularly now when all the teams around us at the top of the table are involved in Cup competitions and there’s an opportunity to steal a march on them.
Meanwhile, Pollok, fresh from their Scottish Cup replay win over Glasgow Perthshire are in buoyant mood for a long trek South to face Girvan despite gaffer Tony McInally owning up to having selection concerns .
He revealed: “On the bright side, Stefan McLuskey made a fleeting appearance off the bench against the Shire and he will be better for a week’s training under his belt but a doubt continues to hang overAdam Forde who couldn’t feature in the Cup replay because of a dead leg injury while Alan McKenzie is a definite non-starter after having his appendix removed and the likelihood is he will not be back in contention for a jersey until the New Year.
HE ADDED: “Colin Williamson is another long-term casualty who is only now beginning to up his fitness levels and he will be back in the reckoning soon but the hamstring injury sustained by Ross Brash continues to cause him problems and he looks like missing out.”
McInally also allayed the fears of Pollok fans concerned over whispers that loan signing defender Bryan Wharton was on the verge of returning to Queen’s Park.
He said: “Bryan’s loan deal expired yesterday but I have been in discussions with Gus McPherson and he has agreed to Bryan staying with us until late June which is great news as he has been outstanding.”
Meanwhile, a large Junior attendance is predicted for the Funeral Service of highly respected St Roch’s official Colin McLean which will take place at Lambhill Crematorium (10.30am) this coming Friday 8th December.