Threave Rovers’ SFA South Region Challenge Cup dream is over.
The Castle Douglas side made it as far as the last 16 but saw their run ended by Lowland League side Caledonian Braves on Saturday.
They were 2-0 down after little more than a quarter of an hour after goals from Marc Kelly and Ross McNeill, then had Ross Thomson sent off midway through the second half after he brought down Kelly in the box.
He conceded a penalty into the bargain but Graham Wright pulled off a fine save from Kelly’s spot-kick, however, his side were unable to find a way back into the match.
Threave boss Vinnie Parker said: “It comes down to fine, fine margins and I didn’t think there was much between the two teams.
“Obviously, losing a goal in the first minute didn’t help our cause whatsoever but we created loads of chances, especially in the first half when we were well in it.
“I think if we played each other 10 times we’d win five and they’d win five.
“When we went down to 10 men it was always going to be difficult.
“We tried to be brave and get the ball forward as quickly as possible and win some set-pieces but they’re a very, very good football team and were just that wee bit better than us.
“Their movement is fantastic, especially in the middle of the park.
“When we changed shape to try to adapt to get a foothold in of the game in the middle of the park, they started killing us off out wide. They’re a good side.”
Threave are in their debut season in the fourth tier of the West of Scotland League and have dispatched a number of teams from higher leagues on their cup run – including first division outfits St Cadoc’s and Whitletts Victoria.
And Parker said: “For me, Saturday was as if you watched a Lowland League game.
“They beat Dalbeattie 10-0, which shows the quality they have.
“I thought we let ourselves down in the first five or 10 minutes with the way we communicated.
“They’re playing week in, week out and are very sharp, you can tell they operate at a decent level. It took us five or 10 minutes to get back into the game.
“I didn’t think there’s much difference between the teams, on the day they were that bit better than us.”
With their cup exploits over, Threave’s focus now turns to getting promoted from the fourth division.
They go into Saturday’s trip to Harmony Row in fourth, four points behind St Peter’s who have played two games more.
Parker said: “It’s a massive, massive game and we desperately need the three points.
“I have massive belief in the players and squad we’ve got. We’ve put ourselves under a bit of pressure but I have massive belief there is enough quality to finish as strongly as possible.”
