With Yoker the only team to beat them in the league this season, Johnstone Burgh gaffer Jamie McKim revealed his side’s 4-1 win over the ‘Whe Ho’ on Saturday was driven by revenge.
The Clydebank outfit brought Burgh’s 10-game winning run to an abrupt halt last month in a one-sided 2-1 win at Holm Park – McKim’s first taste of defeat this season.
And, having played just once since then, in a 2-1 cup win over Renfrew, McKim admits his players were out to prove a point on Saturday, with that previous loss still on their minds.
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Nathan Marriot put Burgh ahead 12 minutes in with a neat finish before Jamie Sidebotham’s superb half-volley quickly doubled that advantage.
Deploying a high-press, the hosts were in Yoker’s faces and deservedly added their third before the break when Robbie McCutcheon nodded home to put his side in a commanding position at the interval.
Yoker pulled one back 75 minutes in, thanks to Gary Bissland, but Burgh restored their three-goal lead straight from the restart as the ball fell kindly to Ricky McArthur, who smashed it high into the net for his seventh of the season.
“I’m absolutely over the moon with that,” McKim told Gazette Sport. “The manner of the win and the performance overall is exactly what I want to see from my team.
“We were at it from the first whistle and never let them breathe in the first 45 minutes.
“That first half display was brilliant. There’s no other way to describe it. We were brilliant with the ball and showed brilliant energy to press them non-stop.
“That set the tone and laid the foundation for the win.
“We knew what to expect from Yoker, having played them in December, but they weren’t able to play their usual passing game with it being at Keanie.
“We look for every single advantage we can to win games and get that extra edge. Without having to say it to the boys, I think December’s loss was in their minds.
“I could see from the first minute that they were all fired up. I’ll be honest, the defeat in December hurt us. It was difficult to take because we were on a good run and weren’t used to losing in the league.
“We know we didn’t do ourselves justice that day, so we went out there on Saturday with a point to prove and I think we absolutely proved it.”
With 15 games remaining, Burgh will continue their tough run-in this weekend away to Maybole Juniors.
READ MORE: Renfrew win was no upset, says Burgh boss Jamie McKim
The Keanie Park side eased to a 2-0 home win over the Bole back in September but McKim is expecting a much tougher test this Saturday.
He said: “Maybole are a top team. Looking at the table with them just a point above, having played nine games more, it might not make it seem that way but they really are.
“They’re on the back of a six-game winning run and have really improved all over the park.
“They didn’t play their best at Keanie earlier in the season, when we won 2-0. I think they let us off the hook that day and maybe played against our reputation, as they sat in so deep.
“It’ll be a different story this weekend, so we’ll be in for a test.”
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