Late agony for Kirkcaldy & Dysart boss Conrad Courts and his players in Alex Jack Cup final

This was a gut-wrenching blow for YM boss Conrad Courts and his East of Scotland Football League first division players, with the Fife club going on to lose 1-0 in only their third cup final in 34 years, which was played against the EoS Premier Division outfit at Whitehill Welfare’s Ferguson Park in Rosewell, Midlothian.

“It was gutting to lose a goal so late in the game,” Courts said. “I thought we acquitted ourselves really well but over the balance of play Whitburn probably deserved it.

"Dion had a few really good saves but we limited Whitburn a wee bit.

"A lot of their chances probably came from our mistakes losing the ball higher up the park and they hit us on the counter attack a few times.

"When you play the bigger and better teams it’s the finer moments in the games that dictate how the game’s going to go.

"I’ve seen the winning goal from the corner back on a You Tube video. I just think because we weren’t organised early enough at the corner, that was kind of where the goal came from.

"I think if we had got organised a bit better and quicker we could probably have prevented it.

"There wasn’t really anyone close enough to their goalscorer.”

On K & D’s best scoring chance, which came after 39 minutes when Logan King was unable to pick out the unmarked Finlay Shearer in the box, Courts added: “Logan saw Finlay and tried to play it quick, but the ball’s actually come off Logan’s standing foot a wee bit first which made him misplace the pass.

"That’s where we struggled a wee bit, we didn’t really offer too much offensively and didn’t create much.

"But getting to a cup final was almost like a bonus for me. The players gave their all for their team-mates and the club and I can’t ask for any more than that.

"There was not a bad crowd and both teams put on a good show for the fans.

"After the game the Whitburn manager was complimentary with how we played and how we tried to play.

"They’ve been over the course more than us so I think the experience probably helped them on the day.”

K & D resume their league campaign at home to Heriot-Watt University this Saturday in a 1.30pm kick-off.

Courts’ eighth-placed side, who have 17 points from 12 fixtures, can close the gap on third-placed Heriot-Watt who have 27 points from 14 games.

"We need to win points to try and push us up the league,” the gaffer added. “Because we are sitting in a good position as we are eighth just now but have one or two games in hand over rival teams.

"So if we can win games or keep picking up points it could almost put us up to fifth.

"And then we’re only maybe five or six points away from the top three places.

"I think the boys will be ready to bounce back and try to get three points on Saturday.

"Heriot-Watt are a good football team. I’m pretty sure they’re almost like full-time because they’re at uni.

"They always train every day or at the beginning of every day. So they are well structured, well organised and they try and play the right way.”