Great display has Bellshill Athletic boss Derek Wilson eyeing title glory this season

Athletic impressed in last Saturday’s 3-1 West of Scotland League Conference A win at Glasgow University, to delight manager Derek Wilson.

He told the Times and Speaker: “It’s the best the team has played, they were excellent at passing the ball and keeping the ball.

“I think they (Glasgow Uni) were a wee bit surprised at how good we were.

“They are a very good side as well but I think we merited the win. We have started well.

“It’s a long season but we want to finish top at the end of the day.”

Bellshill took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Dylan McGuigan fired in the opener from 15 yards, which gaffer Wilson rated as “a smashing goal”.

The away team continued to look the more likely team to score before being stunned with just 10 minutes remaining when Glasgow scored a stunner from 25 yards.

“Our keeper was unsighted. He saw the ball late and couldn’t react to it because our centre-half was in front of him,” Wilson said.

“We should have buried them by that point. We had hit the crossbar earlier on and had umpteen chances.”

But Bellshill did hit the target again on 86 minutes when Ciaran Lafferty received the ball within the 18-yard box and rifled it home.

“It was a great finish,” Derek said. “I think it was by the keeper before he realised.”

The three points were then sealed two minutes from the end when Shaun Rouse netted an unbelievable goal with a low free-kick from the left touchline which went through a sea of bodies and into the far corner.

“We scored some great goals in an all round great performance, “Wilson added.

“It is very encouraging going into the cup game this Saturday.”

The tie Wilson was referrring to will see Bellshill host Cumbernauld United in the Soccer Shop Direct Challenge Cup.

“Of course we are going to play our strongest team because we want to do well in the cups,” he said.