Juniors: Linlithgow hope cup tie will beat freeze second time round

The Prestonfield men’s third-round tie away to Dundee North End was postponed just an hour before kick-off last weekend with Rose about to go out to warm up.

The North Division outfit had expected the game to go ahead after conducting their own morning pitch inspection, but referee Lorraine Clark deemed the surface at North End Park unplayable.

“They were adamant that the game would go ahead, but when the referee came in she had a look of the pitch, had a run about and just said no, there was a section of it that was unsafe,” said Lumsden.

“Unfortunately it was called off, it was disappointing. We just trained at the side of their ground on Saturday, then got back on the bus, so it wasn’t a wasted day.

“I haven’t seen the forecast for this week yet, but I’d like to think it won’t happen again.”

With Rose currently 21 points off the pace of Super League leaders Kelty Hearts, winning the Junior Cup is seen as a more realistic aim for the Prestonfield outfit.

Lumsden insists they’ll be giving it their best shot to win it for the first time since 2010.

“We are hoping to do well in all the cups. The Scottish Cup kind of takes precedence over the rest, so hopefully we can do well and have a good run. It’s always the aim of the club to win the Scottish Cup and we’ll be trying to do that,” said Lumsden.

One-time Arbroath boss Lumsden brought in his former Gayfield Park assistant Steven Hislop last week. The ex-Bo’ness United striker left his post as Whitehill Welfare boss to link up with his one-time Raith Rovers team-mate.

Lumsden added: “I asked him the question, I knew he was doing his own thing at Whitehill and doing it well, so I wasn’t sure, but I was delighted he decided to come and join us. With his connections and knowledge of the Junior leagues and the players in the area, that will be key for bringing players in. We need to try and get the best players in the league back to Linlithgow to try and become the best team in the league again.”

Elsewhere in the Junior Cup, Bo’ness United take on Blantyre Vics at Hamilton Academical’s SuperSeal Stadium, while Musselburgh Athletic are away to Lochee United.