Rutherglen Glencairn’s Keirin Coleman knows the importance of Saturday’s West of Scotland Football League Premier Division match with Kirkintilloch Rob Roy - but says it’s not a position either club should be in.
It’s the final home game of the campaign for Willie Harvey’s men and their penultimate clash as a whole before a final day trip to Pollok later this month.
Up to seven teams will be relegated from the 20-team division this season, and Glens currently sit precariously above that zone in 13th, three points better off than Largs Thistle below them.
Glenafton Athletic in 15th and the Ayrshire side both have games in hand over Rutherglen though, so victory this weekend over Rob Roy who are 11th after a shock win over Auchinleck Talbot on Wednesday night is paramount. Beith sit 12th and two points above Glens.
And defender Coleman, who has already signed a contract for next season, says it’ll be harsh on whoever goes down this term.
He said: “The league has been a total muck up from the start with the way they have done it.
"Seven teams potentially being relegated, you are never going to hear of that ever again.
“It’s not fair on the teams who are in that bottom seven, who outside the bottom three, would be safe otherwise.
"It isn’t fair on them and god forbid we are one of them.
“Any other year we would be safe, comfortably. The teams going into the second tier will be going into a tough league, with the clubs dropping and moving into it.
“You have seven teams from our league and then the mixture of clubs from the different conferences.
"That will be a tough league, but our main focus is on being in the top league next year.
“We are a top tier team. We just have to go and show it in our last two games.”
Rob Roy have picked up form heading into this weekend’s match at Hamish B. Allan Stadium, winning six of their last eight fixtures, including a stunning 3-0 victory over third-placed Pollok and the win at Talbot.
Coleman’s team are also in a rich vein of results having taken nine points from the last 12 available, and it sets up for a memorable match on Saturday.
He added: “It is massive. All the boys know what is at stake. It’s probably the biggest game the majority of the boys have played for this club.
“It’s a must-win for us. We can’t say a draw would be a good result, we have to win this.
"We need to set our standards and ensure we are in the right position, having done everything we can.
“We don’t want to be relying on other teams’ results, especially with teams around us picking up points that at the start of the season you wouldn’t think they would.
“Rob Roy are flying and I have no idea where their form has come from, but it’s come at a good time for them.
"We’ve been working harder knowing what is at stake. It’s built to be a cracker.”
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