Johnstone Burgh boss Jamie McKim insists his players won’t feel sorry for themselves, despite having to deal with yet another postponement.
There was more frustration for Burgh on Saturday after Maybole’s pitch failed an early morning inspection.
It was the Johnstone club’s 10th postponement of the season and came at a time when they were looking to build on the previous week’s emphatic 4-1 win over title rivals Yoker.
Currently sitting eight points behind league leaders Vale of Leven but with a staggering 10 games in hand, McKim was quick to praise the discipline his Burgh players have shown to maintain their league form, in spite of the stop-start nature of their season.
READ MORE: Burgh ease past Yoker to gain revenge for sole league defeat
“There was absolutely nothing that could be done about that call-off on Saturday,” McKim said. “The boys at Maybole kept us well informed all morning and were as gutted as we were that the game was off.
“It’s disappointing to see another one called off but they will all take place eventually and it’ll all work itself out.
“The difficult thing is trying to keep the momentum every week. We had a good win over Yoker and then were left without a match to continue and build that form once again.
“The main thing is, though, even after the call-offs, we’re still coming back and winning our matches. We’re still playing really well and winning the majority of our matches, despite all of this.
“That says a lot about my team’s incredible attitude, to be honest. Although the call-offs are disappointing, it makes our form and how we’ve gone about our business all the more impressive."
With a friendly match away to Premiership outfit Largs Thistle hastily arranged on Monday night, the week wasn’t a complete write-off for Burgh.
McKim’s side took the lead at Barrsfield Stadium, thanks to Jamie Sidebotham’s strike on the half-hour mark.
Treating the match purely as a chance to get minutes into the legs, the gaffer made a number of changes in the second half to hand Largs a lifeline.
The home team levelled from the spot with seven minutes to go before going on to grab another two goals to secure a 3-1 win.
Dismissing the result, McKim was delighted with the commitment shown by his 18-strong squad after they made the hour-long journey to Largs on a treacherous night.
“It was important for us to get a friendly sorted to keep ourselves ticking over,” McKim added. “We were excellent against a top, top team in Largs.
They had more of the ball but we were the better team, were comfortable defending and created the better chances going forward.
READ MORE: Jamie McKim calls for winter break after yet another postponement
“We were comfortable at 1-0 but it’s a friendly so, rather than sitting in to see it out and get the win, we decided to give some boys game time, including our keeper, who was only 16 years old. We made six changes in the last half hour too, including two boys from the under-17s.
“It wasn’t a must-win match, it was more about getting minutes in the legs. If it was a competitive game, we wouldn’t have made the changes and we’d have gone on to win it.
“Overall, it was a good test against top-quality opposition.
“It took around an hour to get down there and the conditions weren’t great but we still had 18 players travel down with us on a Monday night. That says everything about this team’s attitude this season.”
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