ANT McTAGGART believes the Sauchie squad are determined to give their best ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash with Linlithgow Rose.

The Wee County side travel to Prestonfield, dangerously poised in the Super League relegation zone, but a victory could lift them out of the mire.

And last season’s Advertiser Player of the Year insists that despite club captain Brian Morgan missing out through suspension, the players believe they can go to second-placed Rose and get a result.

McTaggart told Advertiser Sport: “Linlithgow are sitting near the top of the league so we know how tough it will be. Morgy will be a big miss for us with his suspension.

"But we’ll go and give our best. We’ll work hard, give one hundred per cent on the day and see where that takes us.

“We drew with Penicuik when they were at the top of the league so I don’t see any reason why we can’t go there and get something. The belief is definitely still there. We have got real togetherness in the squad.”

McTaggart admitted that Sauchie’s start to the season has been far from ideal, and expressed his frustration at their inability to build on the victory over Hill of Beath a fortnight ago.

He said: “It has been a bit of a disaster for us. We beat Hill of Beath a couple of weeks ago and thought we had got ourselves out of the mess, but we were straight back to square one last week against Jeanfield Swifts.

“It’s hard to explain why we can’t build on our good results. Jeanfield was a good opportunity for us to get another three points, but we weren’t able to do it, and it’s very frustrating for us at the minute.”

Despite their poor start to the campaign, the midfielder says Sauchie’s team spirit is as strong as ever, and he reckons some hard work on the training ground will see them get their season back on track.

McTaggart added: “We all have to keep working hard. The gaffer has got us working on the things we need to work on in training, but we have lost a few bodies over the last few weeks, so hopefully we will be able to replace them.

“We do have a good squad just now though so if we work hard and take it right back to basics the results will start to come.

"The boys have obviously been a bit down but since the Hill of Beath game the buzz has been back at training because that was a really important result for us.”