THE more things change, the more Jon Tully believes they stay the same in the Wee County.

The veteran defender marked his umpteenth return to Sauchie in style on Saturday, scoring the second in the 3-0 defeat of Broxburn Athletic and helping the side to their first clean sheet in the league.

It was by far in a way their most impressive display of a stuttering season as the first green shoots of recovery blossomed in Fraser Duncan's revamped Reds.

Tully, who only signed on Saturday morning when the paperwork on his move from Kilsyth Rangers was rushed through, was delighted to see the side claim their first win at home against opponents he believes underestimated his team-mates.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game with the run they were on, but football is football," Tully told Advertiser Sport.

"If you go to places with a wee bit of a dodgy attitude like they did (you can be punished). They came here and were swanning about thinking they were going to win.

"But you are not going to get that at Beechwood Park. I have been there before and it has always been a bit of a fortress. We work hard and make sure we don't give too much away."

He added: "I stay two minutes along the road and have a big affinity with the club. I've been away and come back and it hasn't changed.

"It is still a family club with a brilliant environment around the place."

Tully's goal, a thumping header from Kyle Turnbull's corner, twisted the knife into Broxburn shortly after makeshift forward Jordan Wright opened the scoring.

BSC Glasgow loanee Simon White added a third late-on as handed first league defeat to Steve Hislop's West Lothian side.

Most pleasing for Duncan and assistant Davie Beaton, however, was the promise of a new-found defensive solidity as Tully and David Cross took instantly to one another at the heart of the rearguard.

"It is the first time I have played for years with a left-footed centre-half which really helps as well," Tully, 33, continued. "As a whole team we defended really well and we were doing well to switch across and make sure there were no gaps.

"That is how you concede goals. When you start to open up and there are gaps everywhere you are in trouble.

"We dominated it and in the first-half we dug deep and defended well as a unit.

"In the second-half, once we got a couple of goals we dropped off a wee bit and invited them onto us.

"But, we worked hard and we were really organised as a team which is a lot better from what I hear we have been."