Airdrie Cowboy saddles up for late play-off push

Feb 28 2008 Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

JOHN McCormack is still confident his side can mount a late charge for a play-off place.

The Rovers boss watched his team pick up a point on Saturday after throwing away a two-goal lead at Stenhousemuir.

But despite the failure to land the win, Rovers are only eight points behind fourth placed Stenny, with two games in hand.

And Cowboy believes the next fortnight will go a long way to determining which direction the club are heading in.

He said: “I think we have got to accept the result. We lost a player just 15 minutes into the second period and can’t be too disappointed.

“I thought there were a lot of positives to take from it. We scored two good goals and, when we needed to, defended well. Despite their man advantage, we limited them to very few chances.

“The boys again showed a very good attitude.”

He added: “The next few games will be crucial and we need to push on from here.

“There are 11 games to go and the play-offs are certainly not beyond this group of players.

“We need to turn draws into wins.” Rovers were due to play Forfar last night, minus the suspended Michael McGowan, who was sent off for elbowing Paddy Mailey on Saturday.

McCormack admitted the ref had no option and believes McGowan will learn from his mistake.

He added: “It was out of character because he’s usually a very controlled boy.

“But the most important thing is that he learns from it.”

Danny Ferry was expected to return for the Forfar game while Jamie McKenzie is training again and could come into contention for Saturday’s home clash against Dumbarton.

Brian Smith and Callan Adam are still out. McCormack added: “It’s a big game and we need to make the most of home advantage.”