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Press and Journal
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Brora Rangers boss Steven Mackay reacts to Premier Sports Cup draw
Brora Rangers boss Steven Mackay says their Premier Sports Cup draw brings back some great memories. The Breedon Highland League champions have been drawn in Group H alongside Premiership outfits Kilmarnock and Livingston and League One sides Kelty Hearts and East Fife. Brora have played all of those clubs before. In season 2017-18 they defeated East Fife 1-0 in the Scottish Cup at New Bayview to set up a last-16 tie against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, which they lost 4-0. In 2021 the Cattachs took on Kelty in the pyramid play-offs (losing 6-1 on aggregate) and last November they impressed in a 2-0 Scottish Cup third round defeat to Livingston. The League Cup fixture schedule has still to be finalised but matches will be played between July 12 and 27. Reacting to the draw, manager Mackay said: 'This draw brings back a lot of memories, some good and some not so good. 'The Scottish Cup run we had where we beat East Fife and then played Kilmarnock in the last 16 was a great experience. 'We played Kelty in the pyramid play-off, which wasn't such a good experience and then last year we played Livingston and put on a really good show I thought. 'It can be nice to face teams you haven't faced before, but equally it's also good to play teams we've got a bit of history with and we've got history will all these clubs. 'We're looking forward to it and looking forward to challenging ourselves against some top opposition. 'Kilmarnock and Livingston are both Premiership clubs and either of them coming to Dudgeon Park would be a great occasion for the club and the area. 'All these games are an opportunity for us to showcase what we can do. 'It's something for the players to look forward to and it will be good preparation for us for the start of the Highland League season.' The other Highland League side in the League Cup, Brechin City, have been drawn in Group A alongside Falkirk (Premiership), Queen's Park (Championship), Cove Rangers (League One) and Spartans (League Two).
Press and Journal
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
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.'
Press and Journal
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Steven Mackay on lessons learned ahead of Brora Rangers' latest promotion push
Steven Mackay is drawing on previous play-off experience as he tries to plot Highland League champions Brora Rangers' path into the SPFL. The Cattachs face East Kilbride at K Park on Saturday in the first leg of the pyramid play-off semi-final. This is the third time Brora have competed in the play-offs. In 2015, manager Mackay was playing as they were edged out 3-2 on aggregate by Montrose in the play-off final. Six years later, Mackay was in the dugout as the Breedon Highland League champions lost 6-1 over two legs to Kelty Hearts in the semi-final. As Brora prepare to take on East Kilbride, Mackay has looked back on that previous play-off involvement as he seeks a successful outcome on this occasion. He said: 'Personally I'm using the experience of the last two play-offs we've had. 'You can do a lot of damage in the first leg, as we suffered against Kelty. 'But I also look back to when we played Montrose, and we won the first leg at Dudgeon Park 1-0, but they were still in the tie and managed to take advantage at Links Park. 'There are lots of lessons we can learn from those experiences and hopefully they stand us in good stead. 'We'll give it our best shot and I think a key thing for us is to not be too open – that hurt us the last time against Kelty when we were at home and we were too open. 'Kelty picked us off and won 2-0 and that made the second leg very difficult for us and, in the end, even though we got the first goal in the second leg, they beat us 6-1 on aggregate. 'We need to make sure we're not too open and we approach the game in the right manner so that we've got something to play for in the second leg at Dudgeon Park.' It has been a season to remember for Brora, who have won the Highland League, R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup and North of Scotland Cup. Mackay believes on and off the pitch the Cattachs are in as strong a position as they've ever been to try to move up to the next level. He added: 'On and off the pitch, I think there's no doubt that the club is in as good a position as it could be to try to go up. 'It feels like we're as prepared as we can be which gives us confidence. 'We feel that we're ready on the pitch and the club is ready off the pitch as well – which wasn't the case in the past. 'The club as a whole is in a good position and we'll go and give it our all. 'We've been vocal about it that we'd love to go up. 'Everyone is in it together, whereas maybe in the past there were differences of opinion, with some wanting to go up and some wanting to stay in the Highland League. 'Now we're all focused on trying to get into the SPFL – but East Kilbride are the same and are also desperate to go up.'
