Johnstone Burgh boss Jamie McKim is hoping Saturday’s disappointing defeat at Kilbirnie Ladeside will turn out to be nothing more than a bad day at the office.

The visitors lost 2-0 at Valefield Park, with goals in either half from Mickey Wilson and Alex Bell securing all three points for the Ayrshire side.

It was Burgh’s first league loss since September and they remain on course for promotion from the First Division, with McKim insisting there is no need for fans to be concerned.

He told Gazette Sport: “I need to give credit to Kilbirnie. They came up with a plan to disrupt us and take their chances.

“I didn’t think we looked like scoring but the credit needs to go to Kilbirnie. I have absolutely no complaints with the result.

"We didn’t move the ball quickly enough.

“My players are human. They had a great week previously, so it’s not a catastrophe by any means. We’ll just need to put it to bed and work hard again this week.

“The outcome of Saturday won’t define our season, so it’s about how we react and move forward.

“Although the level of performance wasn’t acceptable, you can’t ask the maximum of every player in every game.”

Burgh return to Keanie Park this Saturday as they take on Thorniewood United, who come into the game on the back of consecutive victories after adding senior experience to their ranks in recent weeks.

Stuart Carswell and Ross Forbes have both signed for David Gormley’s side and, although McKim is aware of the threat United can offer, he believes getting back to basics will see his troops come out on top.

He said: “They’ve strengthened well and they’ll be coming into this game on a high but I’m confident in my squad.

"If we do the simple things well, we will get there.

“We’re not on a majorly bad run or anything. We have been a wee bit inconsistent but that can happen when you have players out and now they are starting to get back and can help us at the business end of the season.”

Kick-off at Keanie Park on Saturday is at 2pm.

Elsewhere, Renfrew will return to action this weekend after a fortnight without a competitive fixture.

They welcome Blantyre Victoria to New Western Park on Saturday, with a 2pm kick-off.