Civil Service Strollers player, David Churchill, is certain the local side is capable of a top-four finish in this season’s Lowland League and secure a place in the Irn-Brun cup.
The Muirhouse based club registered an emphatic 6-0 victory over Gretna 2008 last weekend to set them up perfectly for an intriguing clash with Kelty Hearts at Christie Gillies Park tomorrow.
Kelty were knocked of top position in the league last week after being thumped by BSC – just their second league defeat of the campaign.
David Churchill celebrates after scoring.
Churchill is ready to take advantage of their visitors’ fragility and heap further woes on Barry Ferguson’s team as they look to reverse October’s 4-0 defeat at New Central Park.
Reflecting on the win over Gretna, which lifted Strollers back up to fifth spot, the 21-year-old said: “It was good to go down to there and take all three points. It certainly made the journey back up the road a lot easier!
“I think we needed an emphatic result like that to prove we mean business this season. It was a strong all-round team performance and we could’ve perhaps scored more goals.
“The previous few weeks had been games we’ve scraped through, but a win as dominant as that will have given the boys a lot of confidence ahead of a tough match against Kelty.
“It will be another really good game against one of the strongest teams in the league. They’ve obviously got big aspirations to become an SPFL club, but I’m confident we have enough in our side to cause them problems and get the win.
“We’re probably a better team at home than we are on our travels. Kelty have got plenty of money to spend and they’ve attracted some top players recently, but we’ve got a manager who knows what it takes to beat the best sides in this league.
Civil gaffer Gary Jardine.
“Gary Jardine has us well-drilled and we’ve already proven in recent seasons that we can beat anyone on our day.
“We started this season brilliantly then suffered a few unlucky defeats against BSC and East Stirlingshire, which if we’d have won, I think we would be sitting in third place.
“I sometimes think other teams treat us without the respect we deserve, but now that we’re starting to grow a reputation for ourselves by beating the top teams, it’s a very positive sign and the club is making huge strides.
“We’ve got to aim high and a top-four finish would qualify us for a place in the Irn-Bru Cup next season, which all the boys are desperate to make happen.
“We’re on track for another successful season, despite being knocked out of a few cup competitions. We finished seventh last year after getting off to a slow start, but the trophy success has given everyone a massive lift and our ambitions have been heightened as a result.”
Elsewhere this weekend, Spartans are targeting a fourth win on the bounce when they travel to Dalbeattie Star.
All the action gets underway at Christie Gillies Park at 2pm with entry £6/£3 and under 16’s are free.
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