St Cuthbert Wanderers boss pleased with opening day victory

St Cuthbert Wanderers boss Josh Gardner was pleased to see the side win his first game in charge.

The South of Scotland League champions began their campaign with a League Cup encounter against Upper Annandale on Saturday, running out 3-1 winners.

Cammy Shaw gave Saints the lead with a penalty before Connor MacDonald doubled the advantage, David Stubbs scoring after the break to complete the victory.

Gardner said: “We started the game really well. I was happy with most of the game. We maybe had a slack end to the first half which is a bit strange as we actually scored our second goal in that period.

“Apart from that we were pretty dominant, controlled the game and were a bit unfortunate not to add more goals.

“For us there’s always room for improvement. It’s just all about progressing week on week. We’re trying to get as close to perfection as we can.”

As well as being Gardner’s first game in charge, it was also the first appearance in both a Saints shirt and the South of Scotland for the majority of his side.

He said: “The players loved it. They’ve really enjoyed their time at the club so far and the changing room is a good place.

“They seemed to enjoy the game as well. We spoke after the game, we’re all on the same page and we just want to keep getting better. I can see us getting better every week and I’m excited to see what we’re like in a few months time.

“In the meantime we keep needing to pick up wins.”

Saints continue their League Cup games this weekend with a rather different prospect in store. They head along the A75 to face Stranraer’s reserves.

Gardner added: “We’re expecting a different test off of Stranraer. Upper Annandale sat in with a low block and didn’t really trouble us in the build-up phase. We’re