Let’s keep up the good work, pleads Arthurlie gaffer
Duncan Sinclair is certain Arthurlie are on the path to promotion...if they can reproduce their early season form.
The Barrhead outfit kick off their Championship campaign this afternoon with a tricky clash at home to bogey team Kilsyth Rangers.
‘Lie were unable to take a win from their games against their opponents last season as they narrowly missed out on a return to the Premiership.
Sinclair has been heartened by three wins on the spin in the Sectional League Cup, which have set up a quarter final clash against Renfrew later this month.
But now he has challenged his side to continue in the same vein and fling their hat in the ring for a promotion push.
He told Express Sport : “The players have been different class and I really do have to give them credit.
“People might say that these cup games are just pre-season matches but they are competitive games that are there to be won.
“The boys have already shown me that they can do a little bit of everything. They have been forced to grind out results, they have been forced to put the boot in, but they have also shown that they are capable of playing some superb football.
“Any team that can do that has a chance of being successful. We came close last season and it is up to the boys to get us back to those heights.
“Every single player has already played their part, from the goalkeepers to the strikers, and they will all get their chance. We have a squad that I have no issue rotating because we have a lot of quality and every single player is here on merit.”
The memories of the defeats to Kilsyth last season are still fresh in the mind of Sinclair as he analyses his side’s chances at Dunterlie this afternoon.
But he is certain that his side can banish those losses once and for all.
He added: “They beat us twice and that was very tough to take.
“We should have at least come away with one win from those games but for one reason or another we just could never get one over them.
“They have brought in John Neill this summer, who is a good player at this level, and they have hopes of also mounting a challenge.
“But I am confident that the boys can start the season on the front foot – we certainly have the talent to do so.”