THE old proverb that says actions speak louder than words certainly appears to be ringing true in the case of Arthurlie boss Chris Mackie who has attracted plenty of admirers with his interim management of the Dunterlie dressing room ever since taking over in the wake of mentor Stevie Kerrigan tendering his resignation during the lead up to Christmas.

And his work in steering the Barrhead outfit to third top spot in the Super Premier standings on the back of three wins in his three games in charge up to now has not escaped the notice of club officials because earlier this week they decided to make his appointment and that of experienced backroom team allies Jimmy Lindsay, John Gemmell and Willie McCulloch a permanent one.

The news comes as a timely boost for 31-year-old Mackie ahead of taking his derby match bow as Arthurlie manager against arch-rivals Pollok on Saturday when he and his cohorts can expect to receive the rapturous acclaim of home supporters.

He revealed: “First and foremost, this is not a one-man show and I’m very fortunate to have good and knowledgeable football people by my side.

“We have wasted no time in making a whole raft of changes in a relatively short time…training routines, playing shape and positional switches to name but a few…however if results are our judgment stick then so far things appear to be working.

“Nobody is getting carried away but this week’s nod of approval from the people at Arthurlie is both the pay-off for our efforts up to now and also the green light for us to push on with our plans for this season and beyond.

“I know what Jimmy and I can do with this opportunity and we are confident of taking huge strides forward particularly as the players are demonstrating a terrific attitude and appear to be buying into our ideas.

“There are 19/20 of the guys at every training night yet just seven weeks ago we were not attracting double figures to the sessions.

“Junior football needs a powerful Arthurlie and hopefully we can help make them a force in the game again.”

The turnaround in the Barrhead club’s fortunes is all the more surprising given that Mackie’s short tenure has seen only one newcomer added to his playing squad, ex-Morton, Rob Roy and Largs Thistle ace Michael Fulton, however the midfielder’s contribution along with that of returning from injury striker Gary Carroll has been significant.

The new gaffer said: “Michael is a gifted player whose use of the ball gives us an extra dimension and his arrival on the scene helps atone for the loss of Ian Nimmo who is facing up to a lengthy spell on the sidelines after breaking his foot in the recent victory over Kilwinning Rangers.

“As for Gary, he is at the very top of his game and I feel the word clinical describes him best given that he’s had five scoring opportunities in our last three outings and the ball has ended up in the net every time.

“It speaks volumes when big Gemmell is now free from injury and determined to get himself back into the team yet he simply cannot displace Gary on current form.

“And if I’m going to be drawn into dishing out praise then a special mention is due to Ryan McGregor who has been recognised as an attacking midfielder throughout his playing career yet is turning out to be an absolute revelation as a ball winning centre-back.

“Ryan is outstanding when it comes to winning his share of aerial jousts but is now showing he can also be a very disciplined, take no risks type defender and it’s no exaggeration to say he’s been our top performer over the last three games.

“Conceding goals has been this club’s Achilles heel all season and there are signs the partnership of Ryan and big Jordan Chisholm could be the answer to our problem.”

Mackie trained his focus on the derby showdown when saying: “The atmosphere is sure to be electric with the people of Barrhead getting behind the team again and sure to turn out in force while Pollok always have a huge crowd of supporters in tow.

“It has all the makings of a cracking match and I’ll be reminding my players to play the game and not the occasion if we want to come out on top and keep alive our hopes of coming with a run over the closing stages of the season.

“We should be in a relaxed mood as our current points total appears sufficient to stave off any relegation fears so the message I’m constantly preaching to the guys is to set their sights on putting as many points on the board as possible…I think 43 is the magic number…and see where it gets us.”

On another note, I am deeply saddened to announce the passing on Tuesday night of legendary Auchinleck Talbot centre-back Sam McCulloch following a long illness.

The big fellow was both a gentle giant and a truly outstanding ball winner who was immensely integral to Talbot’s successes in the late 1980s/early 1990s when he was the recipient of five Scottish Junior Cup winner’s medals as well as a solitary cap for being picked to play for Junior Scotland against the Republic of Ireland.

Details of funeral arrangements will be released when available but the thoughts and sympathies of everyone in the game go to his wife Sandra and their family at this distressing time.