01-05-2025
Steven Mackay rallies Brora Rangers as they try to climb play-off mountain
Manager Steven Mackay has called on Brora Rangers to do themselves justice on the national stage as they bid to keep their promotion hopes alive.
The Cattachs face East Kilbride at Dudgeon Park on Saturday in the second leg of their pyramid play-off semi-final.
The Breedon Highland League champions trail their Lowland League counterparts 4-1 following last weekend's first leg.
But Brora boss Mackay isn't counting them out yet and expects plenty of fight from his charges.
He said: 'We're in a tough position, but it's not an impossible position.
'Stranger things have happened in football than a deficit like this being overturned.
'Can we score three goals without a reply from East Kilbride? Yes we can, but it will be very difficult because they're a very good side.
'We'll give it our all and we've got pride to play for, which is important, because we don't want to go out with a whimper.
'We need to start better than last week, we have to score the first goal and preferably get it early as well.
'We're on the national stage and there's an element of it where you want to do the club proud and also do the Highland League proud as well.
'We let ourselves down last week, but we've had a good season and we're a good side.
'Every team will have off days and unfortunately we had one at the worst moment.
'But we want to make amends, we'll give it our all and see what happens.'
Although the odds are stacked against Brora, Mackay insists they have to believe a comeback is possible.
The Cattachs have enjoyed a memorable season winning the first treble in their history by claiming the Highland League, R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup and North of Scotland.
Mackay is hoping their campaign won't come to an end this weekend and added: 'We have to believe we can do something, otherwise there's no point in turning up.
'It's not in our DNA to turn up and not believe we can win a game, irrespective of who we're playing.
'As a club we've shown that by beating clubs who play at a higher level in the past.
'We'll need to call upon that mindset again and we'll set up in such a way that gives us the chance to try to get an early goal and get back in the tie.
'In sport things can happen, I'm sure East Kilbride will want to get a goal to kill it off completely.
'There's an element of jeopardy for us if that happens, but we can't really worry about it.
'We didn't do ourselves justice last week and I want us to get back in the tie because a goal would put us back in the tie.
'It would still be a mammoth task, but a goal would make it interesting and we've got to give it everything.
'At the end of the day if it's not enough then so be it, we'll hold our hands up and reflect on what ultimately has been a phenomenal season.'
