FAST AND FURIOUS
Glencairn set a blistering early-season pace
Glencairn boss Willie Harvey has called for his players to keep up the pace during a fast and furious start to the season.
The Glens enjoyed a winning return to the West Region Premiership after a 3-2 victory over Kilbirnie Ladeside, thanks to a late Jay McKay brace.
But there is no let-up for the players, as they face three games in six days, with league encounters against Rob Roy tonight and Largs Thistle on Saturday followed by a sectional league cup tie trip to local rivals Cambuslang Rangers on Monday.
Harvey told the Reformer: “It’ll test us, because we are not the biggest squad in the league.
“When the games are this quick, you don’t get the chance to let injuries heal up and you don’t have a regular training routine.
“There’s no chance to recover, you have to keep going and there are no easy games in the Premiership.”
However, the manager was pleased at how his side started the season, taking all three points on Saturday.
He continued: “It went well. I thought we started off a bit nervously but came into the game as the first half went on.
“The real disappointment was that having taken the lead we didn’t hold onto it at all.
"There were two silly mistakes by Stevie Kerr and we ended up 2-1 down out of nothing.
“Credit to Stevie though, the boy showed a lot of character in the second half. At half-time we spoke to him and said he could either go out and make amends in the second half or go into his shell, and he went out and played well.”
Harvey was also delighted by the form of Jay McKay, who kept up his goalscoring hot streak for the club.
“The passing, movement and pace was excellent, the manager went on. "Jay and Dale (Simeon) and Gavin (Mackie) were causing them real problems and we didn’t look under any real threat.
“At the moment, Jay is in the position he likes playing in, with Garry Smith out injured, and he’s seized it.
“He’s got Liam Gormley right behind him though, so he knows he has to keep his form up.”
As well as Smith, midfielder Harry Mitchell remains out of action after suffering a torn hamstring in pre-season.
The Glens are at home against Largs Thistle on Saturday, with a 2pm kick off.
GLENCAIRN ................................ 3 KILBIRNIE .................................... 2
Peter Ferguson TheWest Region Championship winners flag was unveiled prior to kick off, and Ladeside showed a touch of class by forming a guard of honour to mark Glencairn’s leaguewinning season of 2018-19.
Having shown their respect though, the visitors wasted no time in asserting an early authority on the game.
The Glens struggled to get any form of controlled possession in the opening five minutes, but the match became much more competitive as it moved into the second quarter.
There was a real let-off for Glencairn in the 36th minute when David Ramsay sprung the offside trap and lobbed the ball over Whyte, only for it to rebound from the face of the crossbar, and Tam Miller completed the clearance.
Then, Glens broke the deadlock in the 38th minute with a quite delightful goal.
Leyden fed Dale Simeon on the right edge of the penalty area, and he played a one-two with McKay before curling a perfect finish past Hughes.
The celebrations had barely finished though, when Kilbirnie were gifted an equaliser.
Stevie Kerr got in a fankle as he tried to pass back to Whyte, and David Ramsay said ‘thank you very much’ as he nipped in to roll the ball past Whyte to make it 1-1.
Things got worse for the home supporters as Scullion was tripped by Kerr only two minutes later, and the referee had an easy decision to blow for a penalty kick.
Chris Craig stepped up to send Whyte the wrong way and put Kilbirnie 2-1 ahead.
It was now a very different Glencairn team at the start of the second half from the tentative one which had started the match, as they pushed forwards.
The home fans were beginning to wonder if it wasn’t going to be their day though, when Mackie’s snap-shot rattled off the post from close range.
There had to be a reward for the pressure though, and Glencairn got a deserved equaliser in the 71st minute.
Simeon’s clever pass into the right edge of the penalty picked out the ever-willing run of Jay McKay, and he composed himself before firing low past Hughes to make it 2-2.
That prompted changes from the visitors, but perhaps the substitutions disturbed the concentration of the Ladeside backline, but the new guys had hardly come on when a long ball by Whyte caught out the defence, allowing McKay in to lob brilliantly over Hughes and into the corner of the net to put the Glens 3-2 in front.
Kilbirnie threw everything at the home side in the closing stages but couldn’t find a way past the resolute defence, and the Glens held on for a deserved three points and a great start to the league campaign.
Team: Whyte, McGregor, Miller, Donaldson, Stevie Kerr, McGuire, Leyden, Fraser, Mackie (McRobbie), Simeon, McKay (Gormley). Subs not used:Chrystal, Lachlan,McLellan (gk).)