Juniors: Three in a row is not beyond us, insists Bo’Ness manager

BO’NESS boss Paul Ronald has Bonnyrigg in his sights as his players attempt to keep their Super League title hopes alive against Lochee United tomorrow.

The Newtown Park outfit, chasing a third championship in a row, lost at St Andrews last weekend, and Ronald accepts there is no margin for error during the league run-in.

Linlithgow are top of the league on 35 points, having played all their games. Bo’ness sit on 26 with five games in hand on Linlithgow, but also sit two points behind Bonnyrigg, who have a further game in hand.

Ronald’s side are finding goals hard to come by with just two scored in the their last three games, but he is confident his men can regain their form in the coming weeks.

He said: “Last Saturday’s result looks to have given Bonnyrigg the opportunity to create a bigger gap between us and them, but the players have a fight in them and that should be obvious tomorrow.

“Last week was a huge disappointment for both players and supporters. That’s why we must bounce back to form and get the points tomorrow. The players know we will need to improve on the performance at St Andrews and get back up the table.

“We will also be wary of Hill Of Beath, who are at home to Camelon tomorrow. They too have a chance of winning the title and it wouldn’t surprise me if the league title went down to the last games. That’s how tight it is this season.

“We just want the supporters to know the players will be fighting as hard as they can to win the title for a third time on the bounce. If we do fail, it won’t be for the lack of trying.”

It promises to be a tough encounter tomorrow with Lochee third bottom of the table and fighting for their Super League status.

After Forfar West End dropped out of the league, only one team will be relegated, and Lochee are joined in the list of threatened teams by Bathgate, Carnoustie and Musselburgh.

David McGlynn’s Musselburgh face a massive game at fellow strugglers Carnoustie tomorrow.

Musselburgh reached the heady heights of a Scottish Junior Cup final last season, but have really struggled in recent games. They are still playing good football, but wins are a rarity now – and that spells danger.

McGlynn’s team have three games remaining and he accepts his side will probably have to win all three games.

“It’s vital that we take something, if not everything from this one,” said McGlynn, pictured left. “It’s going to be hard for us because Carnoustie have found a bit of form and been winning games recently. They are fighting for their lives as well so it makes it a tough game for everyone.

“We must go there in confident mood, though, because if we win it puts pressure back on the sides above us.

“It’s difficult to put my finger on what’s happened to us this season. We’ve been playing well enough and should have taken something from a lot of our games like the game against Bo’ness recently. We were the better side that day, but they still took all three points.

“Tomorrow, though, I’m confident we can do the business and start the climb to safety.”