WHITBURN assistant manager Dan McComiskey helped guide his side to the runners-up spot in the Super League last season and revealed today he's determined to go one better this time round.
The Central Park side were pipped to the championship by Lochee United in last term's penultimate match and were unlucky to have lost out after a superb campaign.
This season started off disappointingly last week, however, as they were held to a 2
-2 draw by Glenrothes, although McComiskey is hopeful his side can build on what they achieved last year.
Tomorrow the West Lothian side face a tricky trip to Tayport and McComiskey is looking to take maximum points from the clash as his side look to push themselves forward as early front-runners for the title.
"We've had three seasons in the Super League now and we've finished fourth, third and second so the next natural progression is hopefully to win it – but we know it doesn't always work that way," he said.
"We are getting better each season and improving year on year and that is the aim for any club. For us, that means trying to win the league this season.
"Tayport tomorrow will be a tough game as they are a good side but I don't think that we've ever lost to them in the Super League so hopefully that will continue this weekend.
"We'll have to go up there and play well but we are capable of doing that if we play to our capabilities. Last weekend, we drew a game most people would have expected us to have won but I like to take the positives from things and we came back from two goals down which showed spirit. We didn't draw a single game last season so would have probably have ended up losing that game having gone two goals down, so hopefully coming back shows progress."
Whitburn boss Derek Strickland is on holiday in Tenerife for the match and the responsibility for taking the team will fall on McComiskey's shoulders.
Like Strickland, McComiskey is keen to see Whitburn become more consistent this term, acknowledging that it was dropped points in games they had been expected to win that cost them their title chance last time out.
"On our day we are capable of beating any team. But we are also capable of dropping some very silly points and that is something that we have to work on," he said.
"We would probably have been expected to have won last week so it's important that we try and redress the balance with a win at Tayport.
"Yes, we'd have liked to have won last weekend but if we can take the way we ended the last game and play like that at Tayport then we have a decent chance of winning.
"We were two goals down inside 15 minutes and also had a man sent off so to get a draw from the game was probably a point gained rather than two lost.
"Obviously we have a good record against Tayport but Saturday is another day and we have to approach the game properly and prepare well.
"We went to places like this and won there last season and I'm hoping that will stand the players in good stead and show them that they can do it. We need to learn from last year's experiences and I'm confident that we will.
"I'll have a chat with Derek on the phone tonight and we'll sit down and work out a team and I'm sure there will be the odd text or two on Saturday too as he'll be desperate to find out what's going on. Both teams like to try and play football and it's a game everyone at the club is looking forward to."
Kevin Donnelly is suspended for the trip north after being sent off against Glenrothes last weekend.
The full article contains 658 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
