Shotts boss hits out at West of Scotland League over 'player welfare' amid injuries during 'seven days of madness'

Shotts boss John McKeown says the West of Scotland League should care more about player welfare after his side picked up a host of injuries in ‘seven days of madness.’

The Bonny have been playing catch-up in their bid for promotion and came away with six points from four games squeezed in over the last week, claiming a huge 1-0 win at Rutherglen Glencairn on Saturday off the back of a 3-0 defeat to leaders Drumchapel on Thursday night, a 1-0 loss at home to Johnstone Burgh last Tuesday night and a 2-0 win away to Petershill the previous Saturday.

Their title hopes have faded with those results but McKeown’s men have managed to stay in contention for promotion – at a huge cost to their squad. And McKeown says it is high time more consideration is given to the impact the heavy schedule has on players at this level.

He said: “At the start of this run I had a target of six points out of 12 minimum, so to get that at the end of seven days of madness, four games, is just incredible from the boys. Their team spirit and determination has kept us in it.

“But we’ve picked up lots of injuries again over the week. We are just falling to bits. We’ve got Jack Gordon with a broken foot, Paul McGeough took a knock and then there’s Chris Meikle, Danny Burns and Adam Hunter out with hamstring injuries, Harry Kent has done his thigh and Taylor Evans and Martin Cassells have had issues as well.

“I just think player welfare is not being taken into consideration at all at this level of the game. It’s been going on for years like this. I remember when I was at Cumnock we had a schedule that took us well into June and that was just madness. I just wonder when is the time you stop and say this isn’t fair on the players?

“These guys have got jobs and they are now missing work because they got injured trying to play four games in a week. It is just crazy. But I just want to try and remain positive because the boys have been amazing in their determination.

"They are crawling off the park and patching themselves up. I can’t ask for anymore. Promotion was always the realistic objective. To be in this position now is incredible. Great credit to the boys.

“There is still a lot of hard work to be done and hopefully we can get over the line. If we do get over the line, it will be by stumbling and crawling, but that’s fine, I’ll take that.”

Shotts need to patch themselves up and go again for the final four games, which start tonight with a trip to Kilbirnie and is followed by a visit to Blantyre Victoria on Saturday.

McKeown added: “It was a big day for us on Saturday. To go to Rutherglen and beat them after that schedule showed immense character, but it is still a big ask we have on our hands. We need to get five points out of our last four games to get promotion and it won’t be easy with all the injuries. Kilbirnie are in really decent form and Blantyre are right up there, so it is tough.”

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