Berwick Rangers manager Kevin Haynes says sorry to fans for ‘totally unacceptable’ display away to Cumbernauld Colts
Berwick Rangers manager Kevin Haynes has issued an apology to fans of the club after they were hit by their third defeat on the bounce away to Cumbernauld Colts on Saturday.
Though the Northumbrians managed to score two goals to none from their hosts after half-time, that wasn’t enough to offset the three they’d conceded in just over half an hour ahead of the break, extending their winless streak at the North Lanarkshire club’s Broadwood Stadium to five fixtures.
That was their fourth defeat in that handful of games, the others being by 3-0 last August, 2-1 in December 2023 and 1-0 in February 2022, with a 3-3 draw in January 2023 earning them their only point since they last won there back in December 2020, by 2-0.
Josh Farquhar opened the scoring for gaffer John Doyle’s hosts past visiting goalkeeper Liam Campbell on 12 minutes, with Josh Jack doubling their advantage on 35 and Billy Mortimer putting them three in front on 43 as visiting fans, having made a near-100-mile journey west, were forced to witness a first-half display branded unacceptable by Haynes.
A 66th-minute Liam Buchanan penalty, awarded for a handball by defender Liam Allison, got Rangers back into the game and it was followed by another goal by Scott-Taylor Mackenzie three minutes later but that was too little too late, according to Haynes.
“People have travelled and spent money to get here. It’s not a short distance and there were trains and cars coming here, so I apologise to those guys that have travelled and spent their hard-earned money to watch that first half. It’s just not acceptable,” the 44-year-old told the club’s Facebook page.
“It was a game of two halves really and the first half was totally unacceptable.
“It’s nothing to do with shape, it’s nothing to do with formations or style – it’s about players being willing to do the hard work.
“I don’t think we matched Cumbernauld Colts in any departments in the first half. They ran off us, we never tracked runners, and on the ball we were bitterly disappointing. Every time we had the ball, we gave them it back and we invited more pressure.
“The end product wasn’t good enough and ultimately we were probably in a deserved position at half-time.
“I’ve praised them in the last few weeks for the desire and the fight that they have to get back into games but today was just a mountain too high.
“We’re not good enough to give teams a three-goal advantage. There is a bit of credit due to the players for that second-half performance and winning the second half, but you get zero points for that because the damage was already done.
“We missed a glorious opportunity at 3-2 with 15 minutes to go which would have put the game all square and then we would have had a real game on our hands at that stage and probably with a little bit of impetus and momentum, but it wasn’t meant to be and the damage had been done in the first half.
“We can’t keep giving oppositions that kind of start.”
Berwick are away to newcomers Clydebank – currently second in the Scottish Lowland Football League table on 16 points from six fixtures, 11 places and ten points better off than them – this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm, and Haynes isn’t expecting that to be any easier an away-day than last weekend’s.
“We’re playing a Clydebank side who are flying, who are really, really good, and if they thought Saturday was tough, next week is going to be even tougher,” he warned.
That outing is followed by a visit from Heart of Midlothian B next Tuesday, with kick-off at Shielfield Park at 7.45pm.