Berwick Rangers still in with chance of progress in challenge cup despite 7-1 walloping
Qualification for the next round of this football season’s KDM Evolution Trophy remains within reach for Berwick Rangers despite a 7-1 thumping away to William Hill League One’s Airdrieonians on Saturday.
That second defeat in five Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup fixtures so far leaves the Northumbrians 24th in the competition’s league-phase table, level on seven points with three other teams and still in with a shout at clinching a top-22 placing and making it into November’s round of 32.
To pull that off, though, the Scottish Lowland Football League East outfit look likely to need to pick up three points from their concluding fixture at home to further William Hill League One opposition, Queen of the South, on Tuesday, October 13, with kick-off against their visitors from Dumfries and Galloway at 7.45pm.
Mikey Mbewe netted Rangers’ consolation effort in front of a crowd of 400 in North Lanarkshire at the weekend on 56 minutes.
At the other end of the pitch, Connor Smith notched up a hat-trick past visiting goalkeeper Owen Hayward on 44 minutes, 80 and 82, with Gavin Gallagher on target at the double on nine and 53 and Ewan Simpson and Kian Taylor netting too on seven and 79 respectively for the third-placed hosts, now on 12 points from five games.
That was first-choice goalkeeper Calum Antell and club captain Jamie Pyper’s second and last game in interim charge following Kevin Haynes being given the boot seven days prior and former Gala Fairydean Rovers gaffer Martin Scott being appointed as his replacement this week and the former told the club’s Facebook page: “I think the boys gave it everything.
“After Tuesday night’s 3-2 win over Stranraer, it was a massive effort to come here.
“We never thought it was going to be an easy game. We were up against a good team who are full-time.
“I think that after the effort the boys put in on Tuesday, I wouldn’t say it was a free hit but we knew we were going to be up against it.
“We drummed into the boys the need to stay as tight as we possibly could for as long as we could. We know sometimes when teams like this get one goal, they tend to get another one quite quickly.
“I can’t fault the boys. It’s been an interesting week since the gaffer left. The boys have done brilliant for us. They’ve given us everything in the last two games.
“We’ll try and take positives away from this game but individual mistakes really cost us at the end.”
Next up for Rangers is a first-round Scottish Cup tie away to fifth-tier rivals Cowdenbeath this coming Saturday, with kick-off in Fife at 3pm.