Cumnock Juniors manager Tony McInally applauded his side’s ‘textbook’ away performance as they picked up a 1-0 win over Darvel.

The only goal of the Premier Division clash came in the first half at Recreation Park.

Findlay Frye dispatched a spot kick high into the top right hand side of the net, as Nock secured their sixth league win of the season.

Speaking to the Chronicle, McInally said: “It was a terrific away performance and it is what you need to do when you are away from home.

“You need to limit their strengths, exploit their weaknesses and stay really compact to not give them any encouragement with their support behind them.

“So in many ways it was a textbook away performance in how we played, so I was delighted with that as Darvel are a really good team.”

McInally was also pleased to have some senior players returning into his squad for the match, with many key players such as Frye, Jamie Wilson, Alan Murdoch, Greg Ferry and Nathan Baird all having missed multiple matches so far this season.

The manager said: “A lot of people forget that from the start of the season I have been missing a lot of big players.

“When a group of them are missing it affects you as a team and you are only going to be better when you have these experienced players back. It makes the spine of the team stronger and makes us more streetwise for games such as Darvel.”

Next up for Nock is a senior Scottish Cup tie as they travel up to the Highlands on Saturday to take on Formartine United.

McInally admits he has sent a scout up to watch United ahead of the First Round tie at North Lodge Park.

He said: “Our assistant manager Mark Cameron was away watching them at the weekend and they won 5-1 against Huntly.

“They are a very talented team that are good middle to front, with a lot of players that have played senior football. Cameron will give us the full run down of his scouting report this week, so we will be well versed on what to expect when we go up there.”