Sinclair insists hosts deserved at least a point

Arthurlie manager Duncan Sinclair said his side got a“kick in the teeth”as Neilston snatched the derby bragging rights.

The Farmer’s Boys enjoyed their first East Renfrewshire derby win at Dunterlie Park in 12 years.

But Sinclair insists his side were the better team and deserved at least a point before Cammy Haddow’s dramatic winner at the death.

Sinclair said:“The result wasn’t what we wanted but the performance was really good, especially in the first half.

“The attitude was spot on. We had two or three really good chances but unfortunately for us their goalie has had a really good game.

“They made it more of a battle in the second half and were much more in our faces.

“We should have moved the ball quicker to get around them but we still hit the bar and their keeper’s made another great stop late on.

“It’s a real blow because we definitely deserved something from the game.

“It’s a kick in the teeth because the boys put a lot of effort in and we could have won it comfortably on another day.”

The rare derby loss at Dunterlie was the struggling side’s fifth defeat in a row.

Sinclair is confident things will turn around in Barrhead, especially if they can keep performing as they did in the first 45 minutes.

He added:“On a run like this you need something to go for you just to give you a wee lift.

“At this moment in time we’re just not scoring enough. We didn’t take our chances and things won’t change until we do.

“We’ll be working on that on the training ground this week to get ready for next weekend’s game against Renfrew.”