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Nov 16, 2023

Rutherglen Glencairn 'are a scalp' for other teams, says boss Willie Harvey

Harvey says his on-form side go into West of Scotland First Division games

Harvey says his on-form side go into West of Scotland First Division games expecting to win

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Rutherglen Glencairn boss Willie Harvey says his side are a ‘scalp’ for West of Scotland First Division teams, and they now go into games expecting to win.

Harvey insists Glens are "confident but not cocky" as they head for a West of Scotland League First Division clash at Shotts, looking for a fifth away win on the bounce.

That includes a 4-1 South Challenge Cup second round win over Benburb on Saturday, and Harvey says they head to Hannah Park on top form.

While they’re 10th in the table, Glens are just six points off the top.

"At the minute we know we’re a scalp," he said. "We know for a fact that people are looking at us and thinking we’re on a run.

"That's four games away from home that we’ve won, four on the trot away from home is good.

"There are not a lot of teams who will do that, and they haven't been easy games.

"We’re confident. The boys are confident without being cocky, and we now go into games expecting to win.

"You only get that confidence through winning games, and the more you win, the more you expect to win.

"That's what we’re trying to get into the boys.

"The more you win, the harder it is to beat you, because you get into that winning habit."

Shotts are on a similar vein of form at the moment, and go into the clash on the back of their own 3-2 cup win over Rossvale Academy.

Harvey and opposite number John McKeown go back quite a bit, and he has respect for what they will be up against in North Lanarkshire.

He said: "John McKeown's teams are always good, everywhere he goes he builds a good team, from his Cumnock days to Wishaw and now Shotts.

"We’re expecting a hard encounter, but if we keep playing the way we’re playing and stick to what we’re doing, we’ll be okay."

Harvey believes his team are now playing the way he wants them to, and if they keep doing what is asked of them, they’ll stay in his plans.

He said: "We’ve told the players ‘we give you the jersey, we don't take it back off you’.

"It either comes back off you because you’re not doing the right things, or you’re injured, suspended or whatever.

"We don't take it off you, you give us it back – that has always been our ethos."

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