Gartcairn gaffer Willie Kinniburgh admits his side “only have themselves to blame” after they slipped to third on the final day of their West of Scotland Conference B campaign.
Kinniburgh’s side had designs on the title before a ball was kicked this term, but as champions Cambuslang Rangers lifted the silverware on Saturday, Cairn lost 2-1 at lowly Dalry Thistle to end up finishing third behind St Cadoc’s on goal difference.
Camby ended up claiming the crown by 15 points from their rivals and Kinniburgh says his side are left ruing a slow start to the season, which included a late collapse at Glasgow United in a costly run of draws.
Kinniburgh said: “It’s a bittersweet feeling looking back on this season because the boys have done well overall.
“We set out to try and win the league but fair play to Cambuslang. They only lost twice so we’ve got to tip our hats to them. They’ve done really well.
“We just weren’t able to keep up with them. The performances have been good but we just couldn’t put points on the table when it mattered.
“Glasgow United away was a really sore one, losing two goals in the last couple of minutes, and three home draws at the start of the season killed our momentum.
“We’ve only got ourselves to blame. It’s one of these things where you set out with a target and you don’t quite achieve it.”
Gartcairn’s third place finish is still enough to claim a spot in next season’s new-look divisions.
The MTC Park side will go into what will be known as the First Division, which includes the top three sides from each of Conferences A to C and teams finishing at the bottom end of the on-going Premier Division.
Kinniburgh revealed he is already in discussions with a number of players to strengthen his squad for the challenge.
The club have signed some big names in recent years, including ex-Dundee striker Gary Harkins, and Kinniburgh added: “We need to recruit over the summer because it’s going to be a tough league we are playing in next season.
"There will be a lot of good teams there. The boys there at the moment have done well so it’s a case of looking to add strength to the squad, rather than replacing a lot of them.
“We’ve got a few targets that we are speaking to and we’re always in the market for top players. It’s important to get players who we think will do a good job for us and suit our style of play.”
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