Moff scoffs at promotion suggestions
ROSSVALE Juniors boss Gordon Moffat doesn’t buy into the notion that the Bishopbriggs based club will be all but promoted if they emerge victorious in Saturday’s top of the table clash with Benburb.
A yawning five-point gap will be opened up if Central First Division leading lights Rossvale get the better of their nearest challengers at the Huntershill Sports Hub however Moff believes the title race is only now beginning to heat up.
Last night the former Rob Roy player/coach insisted: “Saturday’s game is massive for both clubs and I certainly hope it lives up to all the build-up but anyone calling it a league decider is way off the mark
“We still have 10 league matches to play after Saturday so it’s every bit as important to be picking up points in all these games if we want to stay in contention and it’s maybe an old cliche but my players have to take one game at a ti me starting with Benburb and see where it gets us.
“Anyone doing the maths can see there as many as five clubs still in the mix to finish top of the pile so we have to keep hanging in there.”
The 35-year-old has tasted defeat in only one league game since taking up the Rossvale reins from Brian McGinty in November and his side’s latest victory – last weekend’s 4-0 defeat of Lesmahagow through goals from Gary Giffin (2), Jamie Hunter and Greg Fernie – has him relishing the prospect of locking horns with the Govan club who were narrow 3-2 winners when the clubs met in the opening league game of the season back in mid-August.
He said: “People have told me that early clash was a real ding-dong affair between attack-minded teams so hopefully supporters coming along will be in for another entertaining spectacle this weekend.
“I have not made too many changes mainly because there hasn’t been a need to tinker with the team when you think we ran out winners in my first eight games i n charge.
“But I’m glad to have Stephen McGladrigan back in the running for a starting place.
“Glad is a proven goalscorer at Junior level and has been sidelined since picking up a knee injury in our Scottish Junior Cup defeat by Pollok all of six weeks ago, but he returned as a substitute against Lesmahagow .
“He and Gary McGrath are probably the most experienced players in our relatively young squad along with the former Petershill full-back Peter Bradley who has moved inside one and shown himself to be a solid centre-back.
“But the younger guys have not exactly been shrinking violets and Jamie Hunter – previously with me at Rob Roy – has emerged as an inspirational captain with an eye for goal, while wingers Liam McGonigle and Gary Giffin have been exceptional at times.
“There’s a lot to be happy about and I’m not taking all the credit because the foundations were already at the club as well as good backroom team Drew Marshall and Kirk Forbes, however we are nowhere near being the finished article .
“Nothing has been won yet and we must now prove ourselves capable of figuring in the race to the finishing line.”
In other First Division contests taking place, third-placed St Roch’s will be going all out to put pressure on the leading pair by taking the spoils away to Blantyre Vics while a stiffer test of their step-up mettle awaits Neilston at Hannah Park against an unpredictable Shotts Bon Accord.
And the ongoing drainage problems with their notorious Show Park playing surface has led to East Kilbride Thistle making the decision to switch their scheduled fixture against Lesmahagow to the K Park Stadium in Calderglen.