Burt: We’re getting better all the time
Defender reckons Clan will settle into a winning groove
Cameron Burt insists Braehead Clan are settling into the groove as they continue to take shape under new head coach John Tripp.
Burt, a summer addition to the side, has featured heavily throughout pre-season as the side looked to get up to speed.
And despite still being without a number of their foreign imports for the upcoming league season, Burt was part of the side which defeated the Fife Flyers in the Scottish Elite Cup final on Sunday.
A fiesty encounter saw supporters of both sides on the edge of their seats throught the clash, with the gloves being dropped on more than one occasion as tempers boiled over on the ice.
But Burt reckons it just shows the bond the side have already got despite having only lined up together a handful of times.
He said: “It was quite an entertaining game if you were a fan.
“It was a long game, but it was a good game to play in. It sets the tone of how to play against those guys the whole season so it was good to get out there early and see what we are up against.
“They are a good team but I thought we came out and handled the pressure well and we were able to put some goals in and play with the lead.
“It seems like we have continued to progress from week to week. Being short of bodies doesn’t matter, we haven’t made any excuses and have been putting the work in.
“I think the fans can see that we are getting better game in and game out. I was really happy to see some of the young guys step up as well.”
Sunday’s clash served as an eye-opener to life at Clan for Burt as they faced a battle with rivals, the Flyers.
Burt revealed that long-serving players like Bari McKenzie and Matt Haywood had both spoke of the derby before the tie but he admitted that he was blown away by just how heated things became.
He added: “They told us it was a pretty big rivalry, that our fans and their fans don’t really get along very much.
“But I know a couple of the imports that they have over there so it was fun to play against those guys, but you can see it is going to be a battle every night playing against them.
“And I look forward to it because I love playing in games like that and I can’t wait for the next one.”
And having now been in Scotland for the best part of a month, Burt says he is settling in well.
He said: “I’m liking it a lot – the fans are great here.
“The arena and everything is good. It will be good to get in there.
“And the guys on the team feel like they have already played together for years, everybody gets along well with each other and that just makes everything easy when you can come in.”