John Applauds Dressing Room Camaraderie

Clyde midfielder John Rankin spoke to the press following Saturday’s 5-0 home win over Berwick Rangers in Ladbrokes League 2.

Rankin was pleased with the manner of the victory, especially the second half performance:-

“The main thing was getting the three points, keeping the good run going and keeping the winning feeling going. In the first half I don’t think they caused us many problems but it was a stuffy game and the heat probably didn’t help. In the second half we kicked on and we were really, really good.

“It’s pleasing at this stage of the season to go and get a convincing 5-0 win. I thought it was a fair result in the end to be honest.”

With two matches left to go in the regular season, the 35-year-old insisted that the squad haven’t given up on the chase of Peterhead in top spot:-

“You don’t know what will happen and football is a crazy game. We’re looking forward to the final two games and if we’re fortunate enough to push Peterhead to the final day, then great.

“I think it can be seen from the stand, that the camaraderie and team spirit in this squad is ridiculous. The boys are all in it together and fight for one another for 90 minutes. It would be a great achievement if we did manage to do something – we’re in second place and we’ll keep trying right to the end.”

John commented on one incident between Ally Love and David Goodwillie, which he felt showed the extra desire amongst the team going into the season’s finale:-

“We’ve won 5-0 and Ally and Goody still came off the park arguing about a chance at the end. That’s real football and I think that’s been lost with the current generation that are coming through. You don’t see that anger and willingness to fight with each other, but that’s what you’re looking for.

“They had a laugh about it in the shower after, but even at 5-0 they were both desperate to get another goal.”

To conclude, Rankin confirmed that the match had given him his first experience of official water breaks in a competitive fixture:-

“I’ve never experienced that in my 20 years in Scotland! Only a few times abroad during a pre-season. It was probably the right thing to do, especially in the first half when there was a lot of heat and it was coming off the rubber on the surface as well.”