New boys impress in season of change

Gary Pews • Published 7 Jun 2010 14:00 0 Comments

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VITAL STRIKE: Port players celebrate a goal in the 3-2 win over Lesmahagow, a game their boss pinpoints as a turning point in their season.

CRAIG BROWN can be quietly content with his first full season in charge at Port Glasgow Juniors.

Having taken over almost a third of the way through the previous season after the Port had a dreadful start, Brown only narrowly missed out on keeping the club in the Super League First Division.

And, as inevitably happens when a team drops down a league, key players were lured away by other higher-division clubs, while at the same time it became increasingly difficult to attract proven performers.

So Brown began a massive rebuilding exercise last summer, which saw him recruit younger players from the juvenile and amateur ranks, such as Scott Wilson, Jamie Brown, Paul Stanton and Kevin McKay.

The policy has been a success, with Port Glasgow having managed to avoid the fate which befalls so many others, that of back-to-back relegations.

That has been no mean feat, bearing in mind the astonishing statistic that, out of 22 players on the books at the end of last season, only six remain.

Brown has taken great pleasure from seeing his younger players mature.

He said: "For many of them, this has been their first season in the juniors, and it has been good to see them develop so well.

"In fact, at our awards night last Saturday, Paul Stanton was voted the Players' Player of the Year and he got the committee's award as well."

Brown and his management team gave their award to skipper Paul Coyle, while the contribution of top goalscorer Scott Nugent was also honoured.

The striker had a stop-and-start season through injuries and suspension, but still managed to bag an impressive hit rate of 17 goals in 19 matches. There are always a few key games which influence a season, and Brown is in no doubt about the ones which made a big difference for the Port.

He said: "We had excellent away wins at Thorniewood and Vale of Leven, and our 3-2 victory against Lesmahagow at Ravenscraig was also vital.

"We were down 2-1 at half time and were down to ten men after our keeper Sean Graham had been sent off. But we dug in and pulled it back in the second half before Jonathan Donnelly got a late winner.

"It has been a very tight league all season, where we were just a couple of wins away from challenging near the top, but at the same time, a couple of defeats away from being dragged into the relegation zone.

"So all in all I am happy with how things panned out."

The Port now know who they will face when the new league campaign gets under way, with Kilsyth Rangers and Neilston dropping into their division to replace the promoted Cumbernauld and Shotts.

And, of course, Greenock, Johnstone Burgh and Shettleston have moved up from the basement league, taking the places of relegated Lesmahagow, Larkhall, and ex-Port boss Brian Heron's Maryhill.

But there will be little time for Brown to enjoy the summer break, as he already looks ahead to next season, when the Port and Greenock will both play their home games at Battery Park while Ravenscraig is refurbished.

He said: "I will be busy speaking to the current group of players, and also with looking out for new talent to take things forward.

"I will get a bit of a break, but will no doubt soon be itching to start all over again.''

l Port Glasgow Juniors are sponsored by 5 Star Plasterers, and WJ.

This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 07 Jun 10

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