Murdo MacKinnon says Johnstone Burgh “rode their luck” at times during their 0-0 draw with Auchinleck Talbot.
The Keanie Park gaffer gave full debuts to on-loan Stirling Albion midfielder Ross Davidson and Ross Smith in Saturday’s West of Scotland League Premier Division clash.
Smith has not featured for the club since signing at the end of November due to being cup-tied – and the game against Talbot at Beechwood Park was Burgh’s first league match since November 16.
Throughout the game, both teams had chances in the first half but defences remained stubborn and refused to be breached. MacKinnon felt his side had edged the first half – with his team creating the best opportunities.
However, the second half saw the East Ayrshire giants flex their muscles as they got on top. Minutes after the restart, Talbot had the ball in the net but it was ruled out for offside.
There was a blow to MacKinnon who saw one of his key attackers in Stuart McCann go off injured after a nasty-looking head injury.
‘Bot keeper Corey Armour was worked over in the second half but dealt with everything he faced in efforts from Smith, Aaron Mason and Max Kerr.
Luke Scullion, meanwhile, played a vital role at the other end in keeping the score level as he made a number of crucial saves towards the end of the game.
It looked to have been three points snatched by Burgh when a long ball over the top saw a trialist knock it past the defender and found himself one-on-one. But Armour, anticipating the forward’s touch, had raced out of his goal and was able to clear the danger.
MacKinnon highlighted how setting up to defend resolutely was key for the Talbot trip.
“It was a competitive game where I thought that we were the better team in the first half,” he told the Burgh media team afterwards. “We had a great chance where the ball went across the face of the box.
“Second half, it was more them and I felt we played their game a little bit by going too direct too early. They put us under a lot of pressure, and we kind of rode our luck a little bit coming towards the end, with Scully making good saves.”
Meanwhile, Burgh striker Jordan Moore has left the club after a deal was struck for him to join Premier Division rivals Gartcairn. He had joined the club in the summer on a two-year deal after signing from Darvel.
Elsewhere, defender Jason Naismith has gone out on loan to Darvel for the rest of the season.
In terms of incomings, Burgh have added Aiden Gilmartin, 19, to their ranks after signing him on an 18-month contract from Darvel.
The centre-forward was a product of the St Mirren youth academy and scored one of the goals in the play-off final against East Kilbride which kept Stranraer in the SPFL.
Don’t miss the latest Renfrewshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here