Burgh boss insists Kyle Lafferty and Graham Dorrans will need referee protection ahead of league start

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Jamie McKim believes Johnstone Burgh will have to treat every league game this season like a derby. That’s because he feels every opponent will raise their levels when they face his star players –particularly former Rangers duo Kyle Lafferty and Graham Dorrans.

The Keanie Park club begin their WoSFL First Division title tilt with a tricky Renfrewshire derby trip to face local neighbours Renfrew.And while he insists there’s no needle between the two sides, McKim wants referees to give his marquee signings the protection they need throughout the season – as he thinks they’ll have a target on their back every time they enter the fray.McKim told the Paisley Daily Express: “We’re really looking forward to finally getting the season started.“There’s no bad feeling between us and Renfrew at all.

It’s not a massive rivalry as such but it’s a local game and, of course, there are bragging rights at stake.“We need to treat every game this season as a derby because I’m expecting that kind of hunger and desire for opposition teams to beat us all season.“There’s going to be a lot of eyes on us this year because of the signings we’ve made and we have to embrace that challenge and thrive in it.“I truly believe it will bring the best out of us.

We want to get this season off to a flier and then keep going from there.“The majority of the players we’ve brought in have stepped down a level in terms of the leagues they used to play in.“But I think the level of opposition teams wanting to beat them will be even higher now, especially Kyle and Graham.“They need to get proper protection from referees because we want to showcase our level and see the best of them.“Of course, you can accept and expect some rough treatment, but there’s a level