Linlithgow Rose still have a long way to go to match 2013 record, says boss Gordon Herd

Back in 2012-2013, Herd and his Rose team-mates ultimately ended up finalising a 43-game unbeaten run – helping them win the East Superleague (with 19 wins and three draws) and reach the Scottish Junior Cup Final, where the sequence was finally ended in a 1-0 loss to Auchinleck Talbot in front of over 6000 fans at Livingston.

"I was part of that run, although I don’t think we racked up 20 consecutive wins,” Herd – who was sacked by Camelon Juniors last March – told the Journal and Gazette.

"It’s a great run we’re on now and like I keep saying to the boys – they have a target on their backs now because of it.

“We knew we needed to go on a run. Normally along the way, you’ll get a draw or an odd defeat but to win 20 games in a row is a great credit to the boys, they’ve been magnificent.

"They’ve put themselves in this position where they can go and challenge for a league and in the quarter-finals of one cup and the last 16 of another.

"It’s coming up nearly a year now since we (Herd and Rose assistant John Miller) got the bullet at Camelon. Listen, this club’s run perfectly, with the backing we’ve had from the committee.

"We don’t need to worry about anything other than football at Linlithgow, whereas there were a lot of side issues when we were at Camelon.

"We’re enjoying it, I think the committee are enjoying it and, most importantly, the supporters are enjoying it."

Saturday’s cup success over Blantyre saw Rose take the lead midway through the first half when Sean Heaver – making his first start for the club – headed in Cameron Thomson’s cross from the left.

It was 2-0 on the hour when skipper Gary Thom nodded in after a free-kick, with Vics pulling one back when Sam MacKenzie scored after a defensive error.

Rose,