Focus now on securing a league title and promotion for Rose after another impressive Scottish Cup run

Cameron Binnie spoke of his pride as Linlithgow Rose held Championship club Raith Rovers until the hour mark of their Scottish Cup fourth round tie before succumbing to a Jamie Gullan double.

LINLITHGOW, SCOTAND - JANUARY 24: Linlithgow's Greg Skinner, Cammy Binnie and Gary Thom line up before kick off alongside the referee and Raith's Scott Brown during a Scottish Cup fourth round match between Linlithgow Rose and Raith Rovers at Prestonfield, on January 24, 2023, in Linlithgow, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

The Prestonfield goalkeeper held his hands up for the opener, when he rushed off his line but didn’t manage to make a connection to clear and ex-Hibs striker Gullan snuck the ball into the empty net from just outside the area.

Rose battled well against their Fife visitors in the opening half, and perhaps a different story would have been written had Mark Stowe fired in the opener when through one-on-one with Raith keeper Jamie MacDonald.

"We had it in our minds that we were going to challenge for the game, we were all positive and we had a right good feeling about it,” said 25-year-old Binnie. “It’s disappointing losing in the way we did and the goals we conceded, and I hold my hands up, the first one was my bad.

"It's one of those things about playing in goal, there is no one there to bail you out if you make a mistake. Nine times out of ten, if you make a mistake, then it ends up in the back of the net. It's just the nature of playing in the position - I wouldn't change it for the world, I love playing in goals - but in can be a lonely position at times.

""We bounced back from it and created another couple of chances but at the end of the day it wasn’t our night, their quality and fitness showed through in the end.

“We left everything out on the park and we couldn’t have asked for anything more. We will digest everything, come back to training on Thursday with a positive mindset and we will look to go and win the league.

"Not many people can say that they have played in the Scottish Cup fourth round at this level. We are disappointed but we need to take the positives that we have done this well to get this far in the competition. Nobody expected us to win on Tuesday night, so I am proud as anything to have played with the boys last night, it was some effort.”

Binnie dropped down from League Two with Albion Rovers, signing a one-year deal in the summer and committed his future to Rose with another extension at the tail end of last year.

The aim is now to go on and end the season as East of Scotland Premier champions and a play-off triumph to break into the Lowland League.

Binnie added: “I wanted to get back enjoying my football. It's a great club that wants to win things. As a kid you want to win league titles and cups, and this club is on the right path just now to do that. We want to get higher up the leagues.

"I knew a bit about the club before I joined, my dad [Neil] played with Bo'ness most of his days so he got a bit of stick when I first signed here. Everybody says Linlithgow is such a massive club but you don't realise how big a club it is until you play for them.”