CLYDEBANK are ready to fight tooth and nail to retain their place amongst the elite of junior football.

Budgie McGhie's Bankies are currently propping up the Superleague Premier, but last Saturday's 2-1 victory at table-toppers Irvine Meadow has given them a massive boost - and renewed hope.

It was only their second league win of the season, and with just eight games to play, Budgie is well aware that time is not on their side.

He told Times Sport: "You could say the win against Irvine Meadow was certainly timely. It has given the players a bit of belief, which is massive.

"It seems like I've been complaining all season about key decisions going against us - especially in the box - but we got one on Saturday when Medda were denied a penalty. That went in our favour.

"Now we are all looking forward to the run-in. We have gone so many weeks without football because of the weather conditions, but now it looks as though we could get a good run at it, and I can't wait."

The win over Medda has taken the Bankies closer to the other sides in the Premier basement, and Budgie reckons his boys are now involved in a separate mini league of four.

Clydebank have nine points, while Shotts Bon Accord and Kilbirnie Ladeside are on 12, and Cumnock - Saturday's opponents - have 13.

The Bankies have still to play Shotts at Hannah Park, as well as The Blasties home and away, which all makes for an interesting final third of the campaign.

McGhie said: "It goes without saying that today's match with Cumnock is huge, and while I won't look too far ahead, all eight of our games between now and the end of the season are just as important.

"But at least we can go into these games in a far better frame of mind after winning at Irvine Meadow."

The Bankies boss - who took over the hotseat in 2003 - is reluctant to pigeon hole the reasons for his side's demise this term, but reckons we need look no further than last Saturday night's live game on BBC Alba.

He explained: "I watched Queen's Park beat Berwick Rangers on the TV and no fewer than three of our top players last season played a big part in getting Queen's to the top of the table.

"That isn't the only reason we are bottom of the league, because there have been times this term when we have been really poor, while we also lost out on a number of players to bigger-spending clubs during the close season.

"Money isn't everything, and obviously doesn't guarantee success, but it does play a big part in whether or not you can afford certain players.

"We don't have a lot of cash, so in that respect, we have probably over-performed at times in the past, but we are where we are at the moment, and it's up to us to get ourselves out of this situation."

And that means getting a positive result on Saturday afternoon against Cumnock, despite the fact the Bankies will be without influential duo Austin McCann - the club captain - and Johnnie Allan, who are both absent through injury.

But McGhie said: "We will have Scott Davidson, our recent signing from Annan Athletic, in the line-up, and he scored on his debut against Medda last Saturday, so that will give us a big boost.

"Derek Carcary is another fresh face that has given everyone a lift this week, while we have also signed David Verlaque from Morton.

"Scott was on trial at Medda for a number of weeks but for one reason or another he wasn't offered a deal, and we were delighted when the opportunity arose to sign him. Getting Scott, Derek and David in has been fantastic for everyone at the club, and the signings have come at exactly the right time.

"David, who is a full-back, is just 19 but has a great attitude and senior experience with Morton, and he will give his all as we look to turn around our fortunes in the next few weeks.

"At training during the week, the weather was dreadful. We had rain and sleet driving into the players' faces but everyone knuckled down and put in a great shift. There is a real buzz about the place at the moment.

"But football really can be a funny game at times. The week before, we were 3-0 down to Shettleston, and even though we improved after the break, there was a real despondency about the place - but how things can change in just seven days!"

Meanwhile, the Scottish Junior Cup quarter-final draw will take place at Hampden tomorrow at 1pm.