Jamie McKim hails perfect weekend as Burgh see off Ashfield

Defensive lapses in recent months have been a cause of constant frustration for McKim but his side were superb at the back against a good Ashfield side, with a rare clean sheet providing the base for them to go on and secure the points with two well-taken goals.

On a day where football barely prevailed, the first 45 was a drab affair as the poor conditions meant for an unsteady surface for both sides with few chances created.

New arrival John Ball came closest to opening the scoring for Burgh but couldn’t quite apply the finishing touch to a terrific team move.

McKim’s side came out much-improved after the break and eventually opened the scoring on the hour mark after it fell kindly to Gary Nugent to prod home after a goal-line scramble.

Ball made way for Billy Davies with 20 minutes remaining and it was the substitute who doubled Burgh’s advantage to put the game beyond Ashfield in injury time with his fresh legs proving too much for the tired Ashfield defence.

Burgh did well to put on a good performance in difficult conditions as they saw off Ashfield Photo: Kenneth McWilliam

The win is Burgh’s first since the first weekend in January and McKim was delighted to see his side not only secure a much-needed three points but do it in some style with a clean sheet. 

He said: “I was delighted with that one. It wasn’t just the win but the manner of it. We were excellent from the off. We played very, very well.

“I’ve criticised the boys in the last few weeks for giving away cheap goals and not dealing with crosses into the box but we defended excellently.

“The pitch at Ashfield is really tight so we went out to make it tight in the first-half. We changed the shape at half-time and it gave us a bit more width and got the opening goal with 30 minutes left before getting the second at the end. We were very good and well worth the win.

“With last week’s postponement following the Vale of Clyde loss, it was good to get back to winning ways as well. It was a perfect weekend. For us to get the three points and a clean sheet on top of that is fantastic. 

“Defensively, it was a big match for us. We’ve never had any trouble scoring goals but we were losing cheap ones at the back so I’m delighted with the clean sheet. That’s what we’re aiming for every match as it gives us the base to go and win."

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Burgh are away again this weekend as they make the trip to John Cumming Stadium to take on Carluke with McKim looking forward to watching his side perform on the 3G pitch.

He said: “I think Carluke’s astroturf pitch will definitely suit our style of play. It will let us get on the ball and play our style of football a bit more than some of the pitches we’ve been playing on. It’s also nice to know that your game will definitely be going ahead too, regardless of weather since it’s on the artificial surface. 

“I missed the Carluke match the last time we played them but I know it will be tough as they’re on a good run of form right now with two wins from their last two.” 

“If you look at the league right now, you wouldn’t be able to tell who’s going to go up so it’s still all to play for. If anyone manages to go on a wee winning run then you’d have to fancy them to get promoted. It will be tough but we need to start picking up as many points as we can between now and the end of the season.”