Johnstone Burgh boss Jamie McKim insists he was more proud than disappointed as he watched his side crash out of the Sectional League Cup after a 7-0 loss against unbeaten West Premiership Kilwinning Rangers.


Burgh went behind after just four minutes and things went from bad to worse and Kilwinning looked dangerous every time they ventured forward, before doubling their lead. 


McKim’s side struggled to cope with the Buff’s attacking power and found themselves 5-0 down at the break.


But they came out with their heads up after the restart, and created a number of chances after the introduction of Kieron Magennis and Paul McCallum as they searched for a consolation. 


Kilwinning added a sixth midway through the second half with a tap-in from three yards before grabbing their seventh with 10 minutes remaining to finish off the rout, but McKim refused to be too downbeat. 

READ MORE: Burgh shock rivals Renfrew in League Cup 


Burgh remain unbeaten in the league and did well to reach the quarter-finals after coming through their group for the first time in more than 30 years before easing past Renfrew in the last 16 – so McKim is adamant his side won’t dwell on the heavy loss. 


McKim said: “We’ve done well and I’m proud of what we’ve done to get here. Kilwinning were fantastic and sometimes you’ve just got to applaud a better side. 


“We made a few mistakes and they punished them, but there’s no real disappointment after that, it’s more pride of what we’ve achieved. 


“We don’t want to take any negatives from Monday into Saturday with us. We need to pick ourselves back up straight away. That’s what I said to them right after the game. 


“I’m proud of what they’ve done. We played really well in the second half and it was just a couple of silly mistakes in the first half that cost us. Overall, we’ll learn a lot from that. 


“Kieron Magennis and Paul McCallum came off the bench in the second half and they were both excellent. That was a big positive for me. All we’ve got to do now is try to aspire to get to the level that Kilwinning were at. 


“They are a fantastic team. We’ve got to take comfort from the fact that we played some good stuff against them in the second half and that will stand us in good stead going forward.”


The Burgh now return to league duty on Saturday away to Lesmahagow and remain as confident as ever of picking up another vital three points.

The Gazette:

The Burgh celebrate during a win over Arthurlie earlier in the season 

McKim has revolutionised the mindset at Burgh which has brought them two wins and a draw from their opening three league matches this season.

READ MORE: Johnstone Burgh beat Arthurlie in League Cup 


And the manager has demanded more of the same as they look to continue their excellent form. 


He said: “Saturday will be massive for us. They won a penalty shoot-out on Monday against a team from one league up to go in to the semi-finals of the Sectional League Cup, which tells you they can dig out a win. I know they lost at the weekend too, though, so they can be beaten. 


“It’s going to be a tough match and a big test for us, but if we want to get out of this league, we’ll need to win games like this.”