JAMIE MARTIN admitted he was as surprised as anyone when he saw his free kick land in the top corner of the net to earn Largs Thistle all three points on Saturday.

The winger's effort from out wide midway through the first half proved to be the only goal as Largs edged out Irvine Meadow at Barrfields to chalk up back-to-back league wins for the first time in 2023-24.

Martin kept his place in the team for Saturday's clash after impressing in the 3-2 win at Glenafton seven days earlier, admitted he hadn't been aiming for the net when he launched the ball into the danger zone.

"Of course I meant it!" he said, laughing.

"Nah, I would say it was a cross-cum-shot. But I was just glad that I scored the goal and the wind caught it.

"I always aim for the back post and it whistled in, and we got the three points. And that is all that matters. 

"It was a tough game against my old club, and the defence was really solid, up against an Irvine Meadow side battling for their lives.

"We created a lot of chances and the Irvine Meadow keeper made some good saves too."

Largs and Millport Weekly News: Winger Jamie Martin after winning goalWinger Jamie Martin after winning goal (Image: Newsquest)

Thistle manager Stuart Davidson said he knew Medda would go into the game in a positive frame of mind after the previous week's win over Pollok - their first victory since Ben Carson took on the manager's hotseat at the beginning of December.

"That was a massive win for us," he said.

"The boys were a bit subdued after the game, but I told them that they should be happy. It's massive to get back to back wins in this league, and we want to keep going.

"I thought Irvine Meadow did well. They stifled things for us with an extra man in midfield; they had a couple of chances, but we had a lot of good chances too, and their keeper made a lot of good saves.

"In the first half before the goal I thought Meadow made it hard for us. Our plan was to get the ball down the wide areas and we showed some good stuff."

Asked about Martin's goal, he laughed: "My take on it was that was a bad free kick that is going over the bar and then it just happened to dip in to the top corner!

"Obviously Jamie will tell you he meant it, but it was an important goal and we kept a clean sheet and we are happy.

"I thought Will Sewell was a threat all day and did really well and was well thwarted by Meadow keeper Bysouth who also had a good game."

Looking ahead to this Saturday's tough trip to league leaders Clydebank, Davidson said: "We are going to be playing the best team in the league as far as I am concerned.

"They had three good wins at the turn of the year, and we're under no illusions. It is going to be a tough one; people won't expect us to get anything there. 

Largs and Millport Weekly News: Thistle boss Stuart Davidson delighted with back to back wins and clean sheetThistle boss Stuart Davidson delighted with back to back wins and clean sheet (Image: Newsquest)

"Wins in this league are massive. It was our first time getting back-to-back wins in the league this season, so we'll go to Clydebank and see what we can get."

Thistle haven't beaten the Holm Park side since 2019, with some good performances against the Bankies since then failing to yield any results.

"Clydebank have got quality," Davidson continued, "and if you give them a sniff they tend to take it.

"Concentration from the word go is important. We have to make a good start and we've got to be solid.

"We got a clean sheet against Irvine Meadow, and we need to go and get another one."

On the injury front, midfielder Lewis Davidson might return against Clydebank as he recovers from a recurring ankle injury, while defender John Tennant has a stomach muscle strain.

* Elsewhere on Saturday, Largs Thistle's under-16s recorded a 5-1 win over their Auchinleck Talbot counterparts at Barrfields Park on Saturday morning, while Largs Thistle Amateurs lost 2-1 to Knockentiber at the Riverside Arena in Ayr, with Glen McTaggart on the scoresheet.

* The first winner of the Largs Thistle lotto competition was John Mackie who won £235. For more details about joining, go to https://largsthistle.info/lottery/.