By David Brockett and Gillian McPherson

Bankies boss Kieran McAnespie insisted Clydebank’s back-to-back home wins over Kilbirnie Ladeside and Kirkintilloch Rob Roy are massive for the club.

McAnespie watched on from the stands at the start of a six-match touchline ban, as Ryan Deas’ second half penalty gave ten-man Bankies the win on Saturday before a John Cunningham hat-trick sealed victory over Rob Roy on Monday.

He said: “Right now, the position we are in, every win is huge for us. Kilbirnie are a tough, tough team to break down. We created chances but probably didn’t think it was going to happen until we got the penalty and Deasy put it away.

“The sending off hindered us a wee bit, and we’ll look into that. It’s another refereeing situation that’s causing all sorts of problems. Albeit we won the game, it’s a sad state of affairs that fans are going away from games and talking about refs.

“Every game now for us is huge to get away from the bottom of the table and to get a bit of momentum going into the cups as well. Monday was another massive three points.

“Rob Roy are another tough team. They are contenders for the league at the start of every season because of the squad and experience they and the manager have, so it’s good to beat teams of that calibre.”

Bankies face East Kilbride tonight before hosting Kilwinning Rangers on a run of five games in 10 days.

McAnespie added: “Most teams are going to be in a similar situation this week or next. With such a small turnaround we just need to make sure we recover properly - especially after such a physical shift down to ten men today. It’s a big ask for the players, particularly at the level of intensity we play and it’s just making sure they recover properly.

“We’ve got a pretty lean squad but they’re young and will look after themselves and, now more than ever, we’ll rotate as best we can for the next few games.”

And McAnespie paid tribute to outgoing keeper Josh Lumsden, who heads abroad due to work commitments this week.

He said: “To be fair to Josh, he was in a position where employment is far more important than football and we totally understand and respect that, particularly at this level. His attributes for a keeper are incredible and it’s a shame we’re not going to get a chance to work with him and help him develop further but he goes with our very best wishes.”