Comber Rec boss Gareth McKeown believes late win is hallmark of champions

Gareth McKeown knows winning games at the death is the hallmark of champions after Comber left it late on Saturday before snatching a huge result in the race for 1A.

Reece Whittle’s last-gasp peach at Lisburn Rangers moved the visitors onto 58 points, enough to win this division in years gone by but not this most competitive of campaigns.

Even so, a win this week at home to Sirocco will at least seal a return to the top flight for the Park Way men, leaving them requiring just one more victory from their last two to be crowned champions.

Rathfriland boss Ally Wilson plays down title talk ahead of run-in

“If we win here on Saturday, that guarantees us promotion, and if we get two wins, that guarantees us the title,” explained McKeown.

“It’s been brilliant this season because at this stage, you could be playing for nothing, sitting mid-table with nothing to aim for, but because we are up there, it makes it that bit more interesting and keeps the train going.

“We’ve come up against some difficult teams and Saturday there, that was a last minute winner, they didn’t give us a minute on the ball, it’s a hard wee place to go.

“I’ve played in big teams and title-winning teams and see when you’re fighting right to the end, and scoring goals in the last minute, that’s a wee sign of league champions.”

It’s not in the bag yet of course, but with the title so close, it looks like McKeown and his number two Mark Picking are poised to deliver on their promise at the start of the season.

It was a big statement to make, talking on these very pages back in August about his belief they could go all the way, but he has confidence in his methods and his players.

“When we came in, in the first interview with the committee, we stated that,