Bathgate boss Love not getting carried away by good start

Sep 23 2010 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

GRAEME LOVE has masterminded Bathgate Thistle’s best league start in years — but he has warned it will count for nothing unless they keep their form going until the end of the season.

The Bathgate boss was a player when they last enjoyed such a promising start to their Superleague campaign back in 2006.

But disaster struck at the end of the season as the Jags lost the Junior Scottish Cup final, following which their league form suffered and their title dream died.

So Love is taking nothing for granted although admitting he is thrilled with his side’s current form.

He said: “We’ve had a better start than we have for a few years and it is probably a very similar start to our 2006 season in which we got the Junior Scottish Cup final.

“We had a decent start that season but we eventually threw it away after losing the Scottish.

“So although we’ve had a good start we all know it is a long season.

“We’ve done well and barring our result against Linlithgow Rose we’ve done okay.

“Of course we are always looking to progress and do better but the boys have been great for us and have given everything.”

The Jags broke Kelty Hearts at the weekend to return across the Forth Road Bridge with three more precious league points following a 4-2 win.

Lee Johnstone netted a terrific treble with Graeme McLaren also on target as Bathgate moved to within three points of the summit.

Neil McCabe and Gregg Meikle grabbed the goals for the hosts but after the match it was the Bathgate boss who was left purring.

“It was a great result for us as everyone knows Kelty is not an easy place to go to,” he continued.

“Managers are never 100 per cent happy with the performance but we got the desired three points which was what we wanted.

“It was also good for Lee Johnstone to score a hat-trick on his return from injury, which will give him a boost.”

Johnstone looks to be filling the void left by Jim Lister with aplomb but Love doesn’t feel it is fair to compare the two players.

Love said: “I can see why people want to compare them as we signed Lee just after Jim had left but I don’t think it is fair and they are completely different types of players.

“Jim did very well for us but he has left now and I brought in Lee because I believe he is capable of scoring a lot of goals.

“Lee hasn’t had a chance for a proper run of games yet as he missed pre-season and then just when he was getting his fitness back he was injured. But I feel, given time, Lee can go on to bigger and better things.”