Peterhead attacker Rory McAllister believes his side was right to go for broke against Rangers in the Petrofac Training Cup final.
The Blue Toon were beaten 4-0 by Mark Warburton’s side in front of more than 48,000 spectators at Hampden on Sunday.
An Ally Gilchrist own goal and a magnificent volley from James Tavernier gave the Ibrox side a two-goal lead at the break.
Rangers struggled to score the third goal to kill off the game and with time ticking down, Peterhead manager Jim McInally gambled to play with three up front with substitutes Nicky Riley and Leighton McIntosh pushed forward to support McAllister.
But with Peterhead taking more risks in a bid to get back in the match, Rangers scored twice in the closing five minutes with Andy Halliday’s penalty followed by Kenny Miller’s late fourth.
The final score was harsh on Peterhead, but McAllister felt his manager was right to gamble.
He said: “We did well to get to the first major final in the club’s history, it was a good day out even though we lost 4-0.
“At 2-0 down we pushed on to try to get back in the game. It was better to get beat by four by trying to have a go.
“We were disappointed as we went in with hopes of getting something from the match, unfortunately we didn’t turn up for the first 40 minutes.
“It was a difficult match and we all felt a bit deflated afterwards.
“But it was good to play in a final against a good team like that.
“They will probably be in the top two or three teams in the Scottish Premiership next year.”
While Rangers now start preparing for Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic, the Blue Toon must rise for a major match in the promotion quest.
The Balmoor side have already qualified for the end of season play-offs but are determined to pip Ayr United for second place in League 1 to ensure home advantage in the second leg.
McAllister’s side lost both matches before the cup final, against Cowdenbeath and Forfar, and the Peterhead attacker knows there is no room for error against bottom of the table Brechin City on Saturday.
He added: “Hopefully we can now get back to winning ways in the league and get promoted.
“The manager wants us to finish second and that is what we have to look to guarantee now.
“If we beat Brechin on Saturday then we will be almost there.”
