Threave Rovers boss reckons side isn't far off West of Scotland Premier Division standard

Threave Rovers boss Vinnie Parker reckons his side isn’t far off the standard needed to compete in the top level of the West of Scotland League.

The Castle Douglas squad is gearing up for life in the third division, having won promotion from the fourth division last year.

And their friendlies to date have included a 3-3 draw with Clydebank and a 3-0 loss to another Premier Division side, Glenafton Athletic, on Saturday.

Parker said: “It’s a gauge to see where we’re at and I don’t think we’re far away at all.

“We wanted to test ourselves at the very top level of the West and the Clydebank and Glenafton games have done that.

“I thought in the first half on Saturday we were exceptional, we were the dominant team and created the best chances.

“There was maybe a 10 or 15 minute spell in the second half where we never quite got our pressing right and they were ruthless.

“They had two chances in the first half and scored two goals and the second half was the same. We didn’t take our chances, we huffed and puffed and had a goal chalked off for some strange reason but I’m not going to argue too much about it in pre-season.

“We were more than a match for Clydebank. We played really well, we let them have the ball at the back and sprung on them at the right times.

“We scored three excellent goals, the main factor was the three goals we lost and it was all down to individual mistakes or communication.

“They’re the kind of goals you’re more acceptable to losing in pre-season as you probably don’t lose them four or five weeks into the season.”

Threave round off their friendlies this weekend with another game against a Premier Division side.

Saturday will see them head to Ayrshire to face Darvel, who knocked