YOKER ATHLETIC got off to a winning start in their Super League First Division campaign with an impressive home win over a highly fancied Kilwinning Rangers side at Holm Park on Saturday.

Shaun Kelly and Greig Maitland were among those unavailable for the Whe Ho whilst John Harvey and Gary Arbuckle were back in the starting line-up having missed the previous week’s fixture and Andy Rankine returned for a place on the bench.

Neither side looked like giving much away in the game’s opening exchanges with Whe Ho stopper Craig Winslow and his opposite number Adam Strain rarely troubled in either goal.

Yoker skipper Gary Bissland was replaced with an injury after a quarter of an hour. The visitors them took the lead, catching Yoker with a swift counter-attack after a reshuffling of the pack as Jamie Anderson slotted home Brian Boylan’s ball across the face of goal.

The home side weren’t shaken by this though and David Crerand almost equalised but his shot across goal went inches wide. Crerand was to be involved in the Whe Ho equaliser when he linked well with Mark Maxwell before the midfielder curled a left-footed strike high past Strain from 18 yards to level things just after the half-hour mark.

Crerand then put the Whe Ho in front just before the interval when he tapped in from close range after excellent work down the left by Maxwell and McManus.

The Buffs made a half-time substitution with former Clydebank winger Kyle Cumming brought on, but before the change had any chance to make an impact, they found themselves further behind.

Arbuckle fired past Strain from Henry’s exquisite through pass just moments after the restart to make it 3-1. Arbuckle could and probably should have added to the tally when he outpaced Chris McGowan only to fire straight at Strain in the Buffs goal.

Despite Strain’s best efforts Yoker wouldn’t be denied more goals as Michael Bailey lashed home a fourth from a rebound after Strain had denied McManus.

Maxwell added a fifth from close range as Yoker pressed home their dominance.

Further chances were missed late on as Yoker failed to make the scoreline even more emphatic.

It was a fantastic start to the league campaign for Yoker and they’ll look to continue that momentum in Saturday’s trip to the Clyde Gateway Stadium to face Rutherglen Glencairn