Positivity is key to St Andrews United's revival

A 5-2 defeat at home to Rosyth on Saturday left Saints still scratching around the basement of the East of Scotland Football League’s First Division Conference A.

The only way is up, literally, for United and they aim to turn the tables on Rosyth this weekend when the two meet once again.

Saints’ hopes on Saturday were dented by a poor start to the game but Cockburn saw enough from his side in stages to suggest they’re on the verge of turning the corner.

He said: “The week before against Ormiston it was the opposite, we started well and then dropped off.

"Against Rosyth last week, we started quite slowly and then reacted a bit better up until we got a red card.

"Hopefully, we can compete against Rosyth for the full game this week and not just one half."

Cockburn and his backroom team inherited a squad which the manager admits was short on bodies.

They've quietly been adding to their numbers and this week completed the signing of experienced defender Steven Livingstone.

Callum Mcaulay has also been recruited and Cockburn believes both players, who are in their 30s, are just what the side needs.

"The squad was threadbare when we took over, so these signings were needed to come in to bolster it and add some quality and experience,” he said.

"Our main problem was the spine of the team was very, very young so, from day one, we’ve been trying to get players in those positions.”

With new recruits in place, Cockburn is hoping they can help contribute to a fresh atmosphere around the Clayton Caravan Park Recreation Ground.

"One thing I said when I came in to the club was that there was a negativity,” he added.

"It shouldn’t be like that at such a big club with a good history.

"We want to make it more positive and have been looking at the positives from every single game and every training session.

"Tuesday night's session was probably one of the best we’ve had so far and you can see that momentum starting to gather.

"The boys just need a bit of luck.”