Budgie praises his bandaged Bankies

Bankies recorded a 4-2 victory away to Rutherglen Glencairn in the first round of the West of Scotland Cup despite missing a handful of players. McGhie was delighted with the performance his side put on and has been left impressed by the depth of his squad.

A summer overhaul of the playing staff has seen Bankies romp to the top of the Super League as they look to bounce back from the disappointment of last season’s relegation.

McGhie said: “I’m really delighted with the win and progression, and over the 90 minutes I thought we really deserved it.

“I’m particularly pleased because we can pick quite a few faults in that performance. We certainly gave Rutherglen a few too many chances and we got quite sloppy at times.

“I’ve also got to take into account that we had a few boys missing today through injury, and we also had to make two changes in the first half.

“So, considering the disruption, I think a 4-2 win against a team like Glencairn is more than acceptable.

“I made the point after the game that in the last two weeks, including the friendly against Irvine Meadow, we’ve been giving game time to everybody. We’re quite confident that the guys in the squad are all capable of coming in and playing their part when called upon.” One player who has made a massive difference since coming into the side is Joel Kasubandi. The former Vale of Clyde man was a casualty for Saturday’s game, and the Bankies boss revealed that even players in the starting XI were having to play through the pain barrier.

He added: “Joel had a back strain and struggled all week, and Hashim Cole trained one night this week but didn’t make it today.

“Even a few of the boys that played were carrying knocks, and obviously some of the injuries we just couldn’t take any chances with, especially with some of the games we have coming up.

“We have a really tough one at Largs next weekend, so we’ll just need to see how the boys are during the week and take it from there.”