'We’re not title favourites' - despite incredible 16-game winning run, Linlithgow Rose boss Gordon Herd rates his side as underdogs

Second placed Rose trail leaders Penicuik Athletic by four points with 13 games remaining, with the potential for the gap to be closed this Saturday as Linlithgow visit mid-table Tynecastle while Penicuik host third placed Tranent Juniors who are having a fine season.

"I would say if we were sitting top then we would be favourites,” Herd said.

"But we are still playing catch up so I would say it’s still in Penicuik’s hands.

"They are obviously the favourites to go and win the league but they’ve got a tough one on Saturday against Tranent so something will hopefully give there and we can get more points on the board.

"It’s a great run we’re on but we’ve not done anything yet. We’ve not won a cup.

"If the season was to end just now, we would have been on a great run and it was great at the time, but we’ve not won anything.

"That’s what we’re striving to do as a management team and we’re pushing the boys to do because if they can bring back a league title to Linlithgow it’s nine years since the club did that, which is unheard of in my time.

"So the boys would be well thought of in Linlithgow if we could do that.”

Being the form team in the league, Linlithgow will at least start as hot favourites to get the three points at eighth placed Tynecastle this Saturday bit Herd has stressed the game could be a potential banana skin.

"If you don’t turn up in this league you end up coming a cropper,” he added.

"We’ve got our eyes set on this league title so the boys are firmly focused on trying to win that.

"And we believe that if we can play like we can play then it’s up to us how far we can go.

"But we need to be at it every single game so we’re looking forward to it.”

Rose go into this Saturday’s game having not played a competitive fixture last weekend as the scheduled game at home to Blackburn United was postponed due to a Covid outbreak in the opposition camp. But Linlithgow did win 3-1 in a hastily arranged friendly against Bathgate Thistle.