IRVINE Meadow boss Kevin Deeney inists he shares Medda supporters' frustration after their loss to Cumnock on Saturday.

Deeney's side were beaten 2-1 away at Townhead Park - only a day after their spot in the West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL) Premier Division was secured for next season.

While Deeney said he "always felt" his team was safe from the drop, the 7-0 thumping dished out to local rivals Kilwinning Rangers by an on-song Clydebank side at Buffs Park on Friday night made it mathematically certain that Medda will again play in the top flight in 2023-24.

But the mood of positivity at Friday night's result was quickly deflated by Meadow's performance away to the Scottish Junior Cup finalists the following day.

“Saturday was a bit disappointing to be honest," Deeney admitted.

"We went into it knowing it was a bit of a 'dead rubber' for us, but I was raging after it because it felt like a training game.

“That’s exactly how it came across. We never really imposed ourselves.

“Cumnock deserved to win but we never imposed ourselves on the game on any area of the park."

Medda fell behind to a Findlay Frye wonder strike in the first half and trailed 1-0 at the break - before James Dolan doubled the home side's lead in the second half.

Neil Slooves got one back for the visitors in the 90th minute, but Deeney was still left seething by the performance.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re seeing games out or not," he said.

"There’s guys travelling from Irvine to Cumnock to watch that, and they’ve got a duty to perform.

“That was the most disappointing thing. You’re almost cheating people out of their Saturday.

“Medda’s a big club, you don’t get weeks off. Whether it’s a dead rubber or not you’ve always got to perform.

“I said to them before the game, it’s about habits and self-motivating yourself, but the performance was so lacklustre.”

And it wasn't just the fans that the Medda boss felt had been let down.

He admitted he had rotated his team to have a better look at more squad players, as he begins planning for next year.

Deeney added: “It’s unfair on those guys who came in, because their team-mates let them down as well.

“They were trying like bears, they obviously had a point to prove. I don’t have a issue with them.

“It’s maybe everyone else kind of cruising through it, thinking ‘I am all right now, I have a contract for next year’.”

Now the Medda boss just hopes that his side don't let a positive season end on a whimper.

He continued: “When we came in we were second bottom, and it looked as if we were down.

“Then we got into the top half, and we’ve not really dropped out of it.

“The frustrating thing is we could end the season a bottom half team – and I think that’s a bit unfair.

“The boys need to remember that – you’ve worked so hard to get here, don’t throw it away.”

Medda have a week off before their next fixture, at home to Auchinleck Talbot on May 6 (KO 2pm).