BEITH Juniors “still have levels to go” despite moving clear at the top of the West of Scotland Football League Premier League.
Those were the words of defender Connor McGlinchey after his side defeated title rivals Darvel 2-0 at Bellsdale Park on Saturday.
He spoke to football vlogger ‘Footy Adventures’ after the match, which the football YouTuber shared to his audience of over 150,000.
And he was treated to a stunning match in the Garnock Valley, as Chris Strain’s table toppers took on Mick Kennedy’s reigning champions, and second placed, Darvel.
It was this season’s surprise package that cemented their position as the team to catch in the west of Scotland’s top league this year with a stunning victory.
Andy Monk opened the scoring in the first half to put Beith 1-0 up heading into the break.
The Mighty then withstood a barrage of Darvel pressure and set pieces before Carlo Monti unleashed a stunning strike from 35 yards into the top corner of Chris Truesdale’s goal with two thirds of the game gone.
And they held out for their clean sheet and a statement win, with a late red card for Darvel’s Ross Meechan rubbing salt in the already gaping wounds of Mick Kennedy’s side.
The win moves Beith seven points clear of Saturday’s opponents at the top of the table, though Darvel have one game in hand. They also sit 15 points ahead of Auchinleck Talbot, who have played six games less.
It’s a position far beyond expectations, given Beith only avoided the drop last season by two points which McGlinchey highlighted when he spoke to vlogger Sam North.
He said: “I don’t think anyone in this league expects Beith to be sitting top of the league with the quality that’s in the league, especially with the season we had last year.
“But the new manager Chris (Strain) has come in, we’ve all put in a shift for him, we’re binding together, and there’s still levels to go with us - we’ve still got time to go.
“We’re still not the finished article by any means but we’re getting better every week, I think that’s the most important thing when you’ve gelled a new squad together.
“How you can go from one low to this high is incredible, but that’s football for you.”
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