We showed we had bottle for title
Goals galore paved the way for glory
Glencairn entered this season with a clear and simple goal – promotion.
After two years of near misses, anything less than returning to the top flight of the junior game would have been unacceptable for Glencairn.
And that is exactly what they achieved in what became a terrific title-winning campaign for the Celsius Stadium men.
The year started and ended the same way – with a flurry of goals.
The Glens opened their season with a 9-0 demolition job on Larkhall Thistle in the Sectional League Cup, Gary Smith grabbing four in what would be a prolific campaign for the striker.
However, despite a 3- 1 win over Blantyre Vics, the Glens failed to get out of the group stages in the cup, after a 3-1 defeat to East Kilbride Thistle.
But their exit did not hinder them when league business got underway.
Their August record was played five, won five, and included a 3-1 victory over Benburb, the side who would go on to be their closest championship rivals.
There was also an 8-0 thrashing of Girvan, as the local side lived up to their tag as pre-season favourites.
A 3-2 win over Cumbernauld United left boss Willie Harvey delighted and he said: “We would have lost that game in previous seasons. We would have tried to hold on for a draw (after it went to 2-2) and that would have created problems.
“Now the mentality is different, it’s about trying to win rather than settling for draws.”
The Glens dropped their first points of the season in September, drawing 1-1 with Darvel Juniors.
But it was back to winning ways immediately and the goals continued to fly in – eight against Kilsyth Rangers, six against Larkhall and another eight against Deveronside in the second round of the SJC.
But just as it looked to be plain sailing, Glen hit a sticky patch.
A trip to Rossvale saw them lose 3-0 and more points were dropped in draws with St Roch’s and Neilston Juniors.
The pressure was now on, with online sniping suggesting it was set to be another year of disappointment.
Those fears were allayed on December 8, when they destroyed Benburb 6-0, thanks to hat tricks by Smith and Del Esplin, before digging out a 1-0 win away to Girvan after Jordan Leyden struck – a result Harvey later hailed as one of the most crucial, given how tough it was to break down the home side.
That meant Glens were top of the table at Christmas. There were then two cup exits – on penalties to Kilbirnie in the WSC and 4-1 to junior heavyweights Auchinleck Talbot in the fifth round of the Scottish Junior Cup.
And February brought slip-ups in the league, including a 1-0 defeat to nineman Darvel Juniors.
Harvey warned: “We’re a scalp for other teams now because we’re at the top of the league and you need to have the bottle to cope with that.”
And Glens proved they had exactly that, beating Craigmark 3-0 and Larkhall 6-0, before one of the defining games of the season – a 3-2 win over Irvine Vics that saw them battle back from losing two early goals to snatch victory with a last-gasp Leyden penalty.
By now, promotion looked assured – but the Glens were eying up the title.
Defeat away to Kilsyth Rangers meant they no longer controlled their own destiny, trailing Benburb by three points as the end of the season loomed.
But when the Govan side lost to Arthurlie, the Glens knew they had a golden opportunity.
They held their nerve, and refound their scoring touch, winning their last four games of the season to seal the title, with a 6-2 victory over Dalry Thistle in their final fixture enough to win it on goal difference.