Fraserburgh manager Mark Cowie has had to be patient in the quest for another shot at GPH Builders Merchants Highland League Cup glory.
But the Broch boss is hoping they can make the most of their opportunity when they face Brora Rangers in the final of this season’s competition on Sunday at Harlaw Park, Inverurie.
During Cowie’s eight-and-a-half years as manager at Bellslea, Fraserburgh have won eight trophies.
‘We’ve been waiting for an opportunity’
But the Highland League Cup is the one honour he’s yet to win as a manager. The closest the Broch have come in that period was a loss to Formartine United in the 2018 final.
Cowie said: “We probably still feel we’ve got to make up for that day, because we didn’t turn up on the day and perform to the levels we’re capable of.
“We’ve been waiting for an opportunity to make up for that. It shows how hard it is to get to the final and get that opportunity because we haven’t been in it again before now.
“If you look back through the competition the finalists are normally different from year to year which shows it’s difficult to get to this stage.
“I’m not any different to any other manager, every season we all want to be successful and win things.
“We’ve been lucky over the last eight years to have success, the Highland League Cup is the one that’s missing and it would be nice to win it.
“There’s not many people who have been able to win the complete set as managers.
“But Brora will be exactly the same and desperate to win it.
“Every player and manager wants trophies and medals because at the end of your time that’s what you’ll be judged on more than anything else.
“Yes it would be nice to win it, but I’m under no illusions how difficult it will be.
“Brora are one of the best teams in the league, it’s as difficult a game as we could have. Looking at their squad I think it’s the strongest in the league.”
Broch in a better place
Coming into the final, Cowie is happy with Fraserburgh’s form after wins against Rothes and Brechin City, which followed a run of one win in six games.
He added: “The last couple of weeks have put us in a better place.
“We’ve kept two clean sheets against two good sides in Rothes and Brechin.
“After the Banks o’ Dee game (2-0 loss on November 3) I wasn’t in a good place and I wasn’t happy with what was happening, but we went back to basics.
“The whole squad is giving me a headache in terms of who should play.
“A few weeks ago that probably wasn’t the case, but we’re in a better place in terms of performances now and it’s a difficult job picking an 11 for the final.
“That’s credit to the guys who have picked themselves up and took the kick on the backside they maybe needed.”