Updated: Berwick Rangers get off to second winning start on spin in league

​Rangers got the better of the visiting Fifers by 2-0, thanks to goals on their competitive debuts from Mikey Mbewe on 38 minutes and Struan Mair on 70 past visiting goalkeeper Owen Hayward, to make it back-to-back winning beginnings after commencing last term with a 1-0 win hosting Linlithgow Rose.

Saturday’s game was Berwick’s first win against their former Scottish Professional Football League league two rivals since March last year, having drawn the corresponding fixture last season 0-0 at home in March and lost 2-0 to them on the road the month after.

Manager Kevin Haynes was glad to see his side get off to a winning start and said they had the 545 supporters present at Shielfield Park to thank for that.

“It always makes a difference,” the 44-year-old told Rangers’ Facebook page.

“Players feed off support, so if you’ve got 500 people supporting you, you give that extra 5% energy or quality that seems to come from having people there. If you’re doing it in front of two people and their rottweiler, it’s very, very different, so support is massive. It always is.”

Looking back over Saturday’s game, Haynes conceded it was more about substance than style, saying: “I didn’t think it was pretty, if I’m honest.

“I thought we were second best in the first half and better in the second half, but my overriding feeling is that it was points over performance.

“I would have liked us to have played better but it’s all about the points.

“The boys did really, really well in the second half.

“Our best two players were Alfie Robinson and Jamie Pyper. I thought big Alfie was outstanding. He made a last-ditch tackle that, if he’d got wrong, could have ended up disastrous. It could have been a penalty, it could have been a sending-off, it could have been a multitude of things.

“The two of them were outstanding and marshalled the defence very, very well.”

Haynes was also happy about his side’s performance going forward, saying: “Offensively we were pretty good and created a number of chances. Their goalie made three or four good saves and had it been 4-3, it would probably have been fair.

“Cowdenbeath had the two offside goals. The first one, I think, is very dubious, and that could have changed the game, but the second was quite clearly offside.”

Haynes was delighted to see new recruits Mbewe, 23, and Mair, 20, get off the mark at the first time of asking after arriving from Penicuik Athletic and Gala Fairydean Rovers respectively this summer, adding: “It’s so difficult coming to a club as somebody who scores goals and you need that goal quickly, so I’m delighted for both of our scorers.

“We want to add goals to the team and I’m delighted that we’ve got two debutants that have scored as quickly as they have.”

Next up for Rangers, after a goalless draw away to Tranent on Tuesday, is an away-day at West Lothian’s Broxburn Athletic this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm.

The two teams’ meetings last term yielded wins by three-goal margins for both, with Berwick coming out on top by 4-1 at home in March after losing last November’s reverse fixture 3-0.