Last chance for Cowdenbeath to retain league status.

Rallying cry by manager with Blue Brazil’s status as senior club hanging in balance

Cowdenbeath manager Gary Locke has challenged his players to put on a cup final-winning display this afternoon.

After last Saturday’s first-leg goalless draw at East Kilbride, the Central Park side’s status as a senior club remains on a knife-edge.

Locke wants his men to prove they can be winners in a highly pressurised game.

And they don’t come much more pressurised than this one.

He said: “It is only half-time and everything is still to play for in what is a cup final.

“If you turn up on the day of a cup final then you will win it, and that is what we will be looking to do.

“There will be an element of nerves both on and off the park because of what is at stake for the club, but we have to show that we can handle that.”

There was little between the sides at the K-Park last weekend, with Cowdenbeath having the last-gasp agony of seeing a Kyle Miller penalty saved.

However, Locke has learned enough about his players in his relatively short time in charge to be confident they will bounce back.

“We did not learn a lot from that first game as it was so tight,” Locke said.

“They had some chances and we had the best chance of the afternoon with the penalty but neither side could find the net.

“The game did, however, reinforce that East Kilbride are a really good side and if they had played in League Two this season they would have been midtable or better, so it will be a tough 90 minutes.”

Locke, who only arrived at the club in March after Liam Fox resigned, added: “Everything in the past couple of weeks has been focused on winning this final and keeping Cowdenbeath in the SPFL.

“My future and the future of the players have been put on hold and that is the right thing as we need all of our attention on winning this.

“The players have responded to that well and have prepared properly again.

“We know that it is a massive afternoon and we will look to come out on top in it.”

Shaun Rutherford serves the second game of a two-match ban and Kenny Adamson continues to be absent with a back injury.

Meanwhile, David Syme saw parent club Raith Rovers suffer relegation last weekend.

He is determined Cowdenbeath won’t make it a devastating Fife double this afternoon.

Syme left Partick Thistle for Raith in January to hook up again with Locke, his former manager from first club Kilmarnock.

When Locke was sacked by Rovers and subsequently took the reins across the kingdom at Cowdenbeath, Syme joined up with the ex-Hearts boss for a third time after penning a loan deal in March.

The defender said: “It’s a massive game for the club and there’s one thing for sure, I’ll be up for the task in hand.

“After last weekend we all know we’re going to be in a competition in this game.

“It’s certainly not going to be easy and I think it’ll come down to who has the most bottle.

“It’s going to be a battle right to the end, and hopefully we can get the first goal and the confidence will flow.

“It’s about who the better team is on the day, and that’s why we’re confident, knowing we’ve got quite a few full-time players, like myself, Dale Carrick, Liam Henderson, Robbie Buchanan and Lewis Moore.

“Hopefully we can bring an extra bit of fitness and an extra bit of quality to beat them.”

Syme made his Kilmarnock debut in February 2015 as the Rugby Park side scrapped to 10th in the Premiership, and was involved again last season as the Ayrshire men struggled to 11th and their play-off victory over Falkirk.

And the teenager is desperate to ensure his successful battles against the drop with Killie are repeated with Cowdenbeath.

He added: “I’ve spoken to a few of the boys over at Raith and they’re all very disappointed, and feel they’ve let the club down.

“I’ve not actually been relegated, even though for most of my career I’ve been in relegation battles. It’s not something I want to experience.”