Berwick Rangers manager Thomas Scobbie upbeat about prospect of ending five-game losing streak

Berwick Rangers captain Jamie McCormack in action during their 1-0 Scottish Cup defeat at Forfar Athletic on Saturday (Photo: Chris Coutts)

Berwick Rangers’ second-round Scottish Cup exit away to Forfar Athletic on Saturday might have been their fifth defeat on the bounce in all competitions, but manager Thomas Scobbie reckons he saw enough positives during that 1-0 loss to offer hope of ending their current losing streak away to Broxburn Athletic this coming Saturday.

Rangers go into that trip to West Lothian seven Scottish Lowland Football League places and ten points worse off than their top-six hosts, but Scobbie believes that holding their own for much of the weekend’s cup tie agains League Two opposition will give his team confidence that they can come away with a result.

“I thought the boys did excellent,” said the 36-year-old afterwards.

“I was proud of the performance and the amount of work they put into it.

“I was really disappointed for them as a team because I thought we were excellent, worked to the game-plan and had a couple of chances we could have scored.

“We came up here against a league side and at times we looked like the better side.

“We should have went on and scored a goal and probably won the game, but those are fine margins.

“Obviously, we’re not in the next round but, performance-wise, I couldn’t ask any more of the players, and we just look forward to Saturday now.

“We’ve been needing that performance

“Although the result didn’t go our way, I think the fans saw a real togetherness amongst the guys and some great individual performances.

“I’m really proud and it’s something we can build on.

“Broxburn won’t be an easy place to go. They’ve started really well after coming up from last season, but if we show the same attitude and application that we’ve shown today, I think we can go there and put on a really strong performance.”

Only a header by substitute Arran Cocks past visiting goalkeeper Calum Antell just ahead of the hour mark separated Rovers and their fourth-tier hosts at Station Park and Scobbie felt things could easily have gone the Northumbrians’ way had Lewis Barr either been awarded a penalty for a foul in the box or managed to get a goal-bound shot past Forfar’s Marc McCallum or both.

“The guy was getting pulled back,” he said.

“I spoke to their manager and assistant and they said it was a penalty, but clearly the referee didn’t see it and then again at the end as well, but the higher up you go, you’re always going to get those sorts of decisions.”

Manager Ray McKinnon’s Forfar now go on to face League Two rivals Stirling Albion at home in round three of the cup on Saturday, November 30.