BEITH Juniors' current squad etched their names into the history books on Saturday, May 4.
It comes as the club defeated Troon FC 2-0 with the win securing their second consecutive West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL) Premier Division title.
Goals from Aaron Mason and Ciaran Diver, who made it 43 for the season, was enough create an insurmountable lead atop the table and win two top division titles in a row for the first time in the Garnock Valley side's history.
Credit: Stephen Kerr
"It’s a great achievement for the players staff and committee to be champions," Beith boss Chris Strain commented after lifting the league trophy at Bellsdale Park once again.
"To do it back to back is fantastic. It’s shows the mentality of the group. To defend the title is a huge achievement.
"The history aspect of back-to-back titles is not something that we bother about. It’s nice to have people mention that stuff, but we just focus on the group, doing our jobs and trying to improve all the time."
Credit: Stephen Kerr
It has been a tough task to get to this stage with more sides competing for the title than ever.
Auchinleck, Clydebank, St Cadoc's, Darvel, Pollok and Largs have all made charges for top spot, but ultimately it was the Mighty who came out on top again.
Strain continued: "The competition is strong, and we’ve had to dig deep. We got off to a great start and that’s down to what we do at pre-season.
Credit: Stephen Kerr
"We had a wobble due to a bit of unsettlement in the camp, but we showed real resilience to come out of that period relatively unscathed.
"When we came to the crunch games, that resilience came to the fore and we never lost a 'make or break' game all season. That’s down to the boys and their efforts and mentality.
"They work extremely hard and never lose sight of the fact that sacrifices are required if you want to be the best. And they have been this season, again."
Credit: Stephen Kerr
Teamwork was another key to success for Strain, who shocked many when he guided Beith to title success last season.
Many felt repeating the feat would be just as difficult, particularly given the loss of last season's top goal scorer Josh Fowler.
The 32-goal void has been filled, and then some, by Ciaran Diver - but Strain insists top division glory is not down to any individuals.
Credit: Stephen Kerr
He added: "Big Ciaran grabs a lot of headlines due to his numbers, but he’s the first guy to appreciate his team-mates.
"We all work for each other and they share each other's success. We lost Josh last year, and people said we’d struggle: well, we’ve done what we set out to do, and our success boils down to that togetherness."
For second year in a row, Beith's title glory will not mean a chance at promotion into the Lowland League.
Credit: Stephen Kerr
With the SFA not accepting new membership applications at present, the Bellsdale Park club will be unable to take part in the promotion play-offs, with East of Scotland champions Broxburn Athletic set to face off against either Creetown or Dalbeattie Star from the South for the right to take the step up.
Strain wouldn't be drawn on the SFA's decision, but says there is a simple solution - and it lies in Beith's hands.
Credit: Stephen Kerr
He commented: "We’ve had a great week, we’re looking to get away on holiday together for a couple of days and then it will be time to rest until pre-season in June.
"The next step is for the club to go for three in a row, and hopefully by then we can secure our licence to allow us a crack at promotion.
"The boys are desperate to stay together as a squad and see how far we can progress.
"Our aim is to have the licence as soon as the SFA open the process. We will look to do some work relating to infrastructure in the summer."
Credit: Stephen Kerr
Beith now have one fixture left to play to round off their season, an trip to face Arthurlie on Saturday, May 11, at 2pm.
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