ARDROSSAN Winton Rovers boss Gavin Friels says he hopes his side take confidence despite being denied a cup shock against Clydebank.

Winton faced off against the current 'best in the west' Clydebank in the West of Scotland cup on Saturday, October 5, only to be knocked out in heartbreaking fashion.

After a goalless first 45, Mark Curragh gave Friels' side a second half lead - before Keir Samson levelled the tie with just over 10 minutes left to play.

Regulation time ended at 1-1, before the tie was decided via a penalty shootout.

After 16 spot kicks, it was the runaway Premier Division leaders who progressed into the second round, winning the shootout 5-4.

“I thought we were unlucky," Friels commented. "I’m not saying we deserved to win it in the 90 but we were unlucky not to.

“Their goalie had two great saves, we had a header off the line, we hit the post – we had the better chances in the game.”

Despite the loss, Friels says his side showed what they are capable of throughout the game - and that they are more than a match for anyone on their day.

He continued: “We’re delighted with the way we’ve played and the steps we have taken in the last six weeks to get the squad back fully fit.

“We were confident going into it that we could give them a game and the boys played really well, on another day – with a wee bit of luck – we could have got through.

“We’ve ran Clydebank close, there a great team who are off to a cracking start, it’s a good measure of where we are and it should give us confidence.

“If we play like that every week we will win more than we get beat against anyone.

“The boys shouldn’t be disheartened, they gave everything they had, but when you are so close you are just hoping to get a wee bit of luck.”

Now Friels is hoping that this is a sign of things to come, and his side can kick on despite the cup exit.

He added: “They are the hardest opposition on paper you are going to play just now – and if you look at the game there wasn’t much in it.

“We’ve got a wee bit of belief now, that’s going to help us improve.

“We’re getting to where we want to get to. We just need to keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard.

“If we play like we did on Saturday we will end up having a decent season, we just need to be consistent with our levels of play.”

Next up for Winton is a return to league action, as they travel to face Rutherglen Glencairn on Saturday, October 5, with kick off at 2pm.