Rothes 3 Elgin City 2: Ross Jack says Speysiders refuse to loosen their grip on North of Scotland Cup after MacKessack Park triumph
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North Cup holders Rothes won't give up their grip on the trophy easily, says manager Ross Jack.
The Speysiders stunned a strong Elgin City in Wednesday night's quarter-final tire, winning 3-2 at MacKessack park.
Former Elgin players Jake Thomson - with his first Rothes goal - and Greg Morrison were among the scorers as the Highland League side roared into a 3-1 half time lead.
Rothes then stood up to second half pressure to earn a home semi-final against Clach, much to Jack's delight.
"It was a great performance and result, I was absolutely delighted," he said.
"We got the rub of the green on occasions but it would not have flattered us if we had been five-up at half time.
"It was a very dominant first half display, creating chances and causing a very strong Elgin team problems. They are a League 2 team so it was a great challenge for us but we reacted very well.
"We scored early (through Aidan Wilson) and built on it and with a bit more ruthless finishing the game would have been out of sight at half time. We defended manfully."
A Rothes side ravaged by injuries have failed to win in four Highland League outings this season but showed their determination to defend the cup against Elgin.
Even with new signing Matheus Machado cup-tied, having played and scored for Elgin in their first round win at Nairn, the men in tangerine produced their best display of the campaign thus far.
Jack hopes it will be the catalyst for some strong league performances and more points on the board, starting with Saturday's match at home to Brora.
"I know it was the cup and we have waited a hell of a time to get our hands on the North Cup again so we weren’t willing to relinquish it easily.
"I told the boys to fight for it again and if anybody else wants it they are going to have to wrench it off us. We still have a grasp on it yet, there’s a long way to go but there’s plenty of positives to work on.
"Considering the boys we have missing, it's testament to the players that were out there. They had to go through the mill for the last 20 minutes and were under a lot of pressure but they defended manfully as a team."
Jack pointed out the fact that as well as Machado's absence, Alan Pollock, Gregg Main, Fraser Robertson, Gary Kerr and Wayne Mackintosh are also sidelined.
In addition, midfielder Kyle Whyte, who scored a fine strike against Huntly on Saturday, pulled up in the warm-up on Wednesday and couldn't play.
"We’ve had a really tough time but thankfully the boys managed to pull off an amazing result."
Jack expects great things from new signing Machado, with the former Caley Thistle forward expected to come straight in for a debut against Brora.
"I know Matheus well from his time with the youth team at Caley Thistle," Jack said.
"I worked with him often enough and saw him play so I know exactly his qualities and what he can add for us.
"I’m looking for that creativity and a bit of spark, he can be imaginative in the final third and create opportunities for others as well, as well as chip in with goals himself.
"I’m absolutely delighted to have him on board.
"It’s going to be another very tough encounter against Brora, a huge huge game and we have a busy spell for the next few weeks.
"We have set the marker down now and there’s positives to take with us moving forward.
"We can take real heart from the Elgin game, not just the scoreline but the energy levels, the commitment and the whole performance.
"We just need to kick on now."
