Promotion battle is not over, says determined Glens gaffer
A GROWING army of Championship rivals are arguing the case that Rutherglen Glencairn are now racing certainties for promotion.
And the lastest recruits are Whitletts Vics, who suffered a 3-1 defeat to the Glens at the Celsius Stadium on Saturday.
However, stout opposition continues to be offered up by long-serving Glens boss Willie Harvey.
Finishing an agonising seventh-top of the Super First Division last season – when six clubs stepped up – was always going to have the Ru’Glonians tagged as one of the promotion favourites back in August.
And hopes were bosltered futher by Harvey’s close-season transfer dealings which included the high-profile acquisitions of Dale Simeon, Del Esplin and Kris Gebbie.
His blueprint appears to be firmly on track with the Glens currently leading the Championship standings after suffering just one defeat in their opening 17 fixtures and having amassed all of 42 points to date – just one short of their total for the whole of last season.
However, these impressive stats are cutting no ice with the former-goalkeeper-turned-manager, who is now in his ninth season at the helm
Harvey’s experienced backroom team of Joe Pryce, George Fotheringham and Stevie Hutchison nodded their heads in approval as the Glens gaffer batted away the suggestion his club can start preparing for the top flight.
“Nobody among us or in the dressing room is talking about going up and that’s just how it should be,” he insisted.
“We still have 13 league games to play, so it’s essential to keep everyone’s feet on the ground because the minute we think the job is as good as done and take our foot off the gas is when things can go horribly wrong.
“Holding a four-point lead going into the New Year is a nice position to be in and more so when you think how previous Glencairn teams have tended to be sitting mid-table and hoping to play catch-up at this stage of the season.
“We have a great bunch of players who have worked their socks off to get us where we are but more of that very same focus and approach is going to be needed if we are to stay in the running.
“I remember one year playing against a Carluke Rovers side in an end-ofseason contest when they were everyone’s bankers for the title, but we won that game and they suffered a slump that allowed us to eventually end up as champions.
“There is a very fine line between confidence and over-confidence and nobody at Glencairn is stepping over it.”
Harvey’s thoughts were in complete contrast to the opinion offered up by Whitletts assistant boss and former Beith playing legend Kevin