Glens look to end the year on a high
Rutherglen Glencairn No.2 Joe Pryce says a good test from Finnart in the West of Scotland League Cup was just what his players needed ahead of a big league clash with Troon this weekend.
The Premier side were made to work for their place in round two of the cup after netting twice late in the second half to run out 3-1 winners against the Division Four outfit last Friday night.
Glens took the lead just after the half hour mark through Michael O’Byrne but they were pegged back four minutes into the second half.
A superb Harry Mitchell strike in 66 minutes saw Glen regain the lead before Tommy Lone’s penalty 11 minutes from time made sure of the win.
And Pryce, who remains at the helm ahead of boss Willie Harvey’s return in the new year from his Covid battle, said: “Finnart did well. They came and had a go at us and we didn’t play at our best.
“We looked a wee bit rusty having had a fortnight off because games had been called off, so it was good to get that game under our belt.
“We got there in the end and that was the main thing, to get through in a cup tie. It was also good to get minutes in the legs of some players who’ve had a few weeks without a game.
“You could see they were a bit rusty but we’ve got to give credit to Finnart because they’ve got some good players there and they made it difficult for us.
“It was a good competitive cup tie and a good shift for the boys. They will feel much better for it. It’s exactly what we needed ahead of a big game against Troon. The win breeds confidence.”
That is now four wins on the bounce for the Glens in all competitions.
And they travel to Troon in the West of Scotland League on Saturday determined to make up for a 2-1 reverse at Hamish B Allan Stadium last month.
Pryce added: “We’ll be looking to get one over on them. We were really poor that day. Troon played well but from our point of view we never showed up that day so this is a wee chance for us to pull that back.
”It’s the last game of the year for both teams and it’s an important three points at stake. We’ll certainly be ready for it.
“If we can get another three points that would be a really good total to finish the calendar year with.”
As 2021 draws to a close Glens are also looking to keep their players ticking over during the festive period, as the league prepares to shutdown for a fortnight.
Pryce said: “The boys will get time off after the Troon game, but they’ll be training during the break and we’ll arrange a wee friendly in the midweek between Christmas and New Year.
“We’ve got the floodlights and we’ll utilise them to get the boys a game before we come back in January.”