Sidebar

28
Thu, Mar
25 New Articles

Typography

CLYDEBANK star Darian MacKinnon WRECKED Marvin Andrews' Junior debut — then admitted he is a real class act.

The Bankies ace and strike partner Ross McPherson tormented ex-Rangers man Marv and his Rob Roy buddies in a West Premier romp.

MacKinnon set up two and might have had a couple himself — but he only had praise for the veteran Trinidad & Tobago defender, who's joined Rabs on a short-term deal.

Daz said: "It was great playing against Marvin, he is a real big gentleman. He was talking to us all through the game. When I got booked for diving he said it wasn't a dive and told me to calm down and not get myself sent off.

"That was good of him and showed the class of the guy. He didn't need to come and play junior football but he has and to be speaking to young lads like me and giving us tips that might make us better players is really nice of him.

"He was playing at the top level of Scottish football not that long ago.

"And though he hasn't played much recently he's still in great shape.

"He's a big lump of a boy and every time I went up for a header I was waiting for him to come right through the back of me!"

Bankies survived some early Rabs pressure when David Gormley twice came close and Michael Fulton rattled the post.

MacKinnon's pass picked out trialist Adam Strachan — signed on a short-term deal after the match — to drive the opener past Stephen Robertson on 39 minutes.

They sealed the win with two goals in the last ten minutes as MacKinnon played in Vinny Berry to step away from Andrews and fire into the top corner.

Then sub Kieran Burns curled a 20-yard effort in off the post.

It was the perfect response for Bankies to their West of Scotland Cup KO by Glenafton, but not the build-up Rabs wanted for their Emirates Scottish Cup cracker at home to holders Auchinleck next week.

Kirkintilloch boss Jimmy Lindsay sighed: "I am just very disappointed and my big concern is that's now two games and no goals.

"We were scoring so freely at the start of the season but now we seem to have dried up for some reason.

"We're also not passing as well as we were so we need to go back to the drawing board a bit.

"We've got another big game next week, they're coming thick and fast at the moment and it's one to look forward to.

"Big Marvin was fantastic given it was his first game.

"Even just him being about the place the past few days has given the lads a lift, he's a big presence and a great character. The boys have responded well to him."