Whitburn climbed to the top of the East of Scotland Division Two table thanks to a 3-1 win over Heriot-Watt University.
Boss Darren Wilson, though, says the club are paying no attention to league standings at this stage of the season following the victory.
All four goals arrived in a packed first-half at Central Park with the Burnie taking an early lead as Jack Henderson was the beneficiary off Yura Bokyo being out of position as the Uni keeper’s clearance was smashed back over the defence and into Henderson’s path.
The away side levelled things up on 21 minutes thanks to a Justin Hogg penalty but the unbeaten hosts were back in front just two minutes later.
Darren Liddell bagged the first of his brace when keeper Daniel Potts launched a long ball that caught the defence dithering before a calm finish into the bottom corner.
The striker would made it a double on 34 minutes as he broke free inside the box before slamming home.
The introduction of Nandom Domyil provided Heriot-Watt with a spark up front but a sturdy defensive display, alongside a couple of huge save from Potts, ensured the home side picked up the points.
The striker looked certain to score midway through the second-half only for an inch perfect Darren Tomasewski sliding tackle denying him the opportunity. He would be denied again a few minutes later as Potts pulled off a fine diving stop.
Whitburn went inches away from giving themselves a bit more breathing room when Reece Boyle hit the post from a goalmouth stramash before Domyil twice passed up great opportunities to make it a much nervier finish.
Potts once again produced a terrific diving save to deny the striker before he went on a wonderful 40-yard run in the dying stages only to fluff his lines and blaze over the bar.
That result, alongside Dalkeith Thistle suffering a 5-0 loss to Syngenta, sent Whitburn top of the pile.
A delighted Wilson said: “They’re a very good, organised side. We knew we’d have to work hard and to go in at half-time with the lead was a huge positive.
“In the second-half, they were great but defensively we held up. Even when they got through we stopped them - Darren with a last-ditch challenge that was perfect and Daniel made some great saves. Those moments are just as important as goals. We had to dig really deep but I’m delighted for the boys.”
He added: “We don’t really look at the league table to be honest. It’s a long, long season and we’ve got plenty of tough games to come.
“We’ve got Dalkeith this weekend which is a big game. It’s a club I know well because I played there. They’ll be up for it and be fighting for everything so we know it’s going to be a challenge.
“If we’re able to pick up the win then we’ve maybe separated ourselves a wee bit but if we lose it then we’re just back to where we were before this game which would be a bit disappointing.”
Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here
