With confidence having taken a severe knock, Linlithgow faced up to old rivals Tayport, who were also having a difficult season. Rose looked more like themselves as they swept into a two goal lead. However, when Tayport pulled a goal back, nerves showed and in the end Rose were grateful to Pinkowski for saving a last minute penalty to secure a much needed league win.

Keen to reduce the backlog of games, Rose faced up to Bathgate under lights at Prestonfield in the Dem Master cup. In an even game, Bathgate made the most of the chances that fell their way and edged to a 3-1 victory.

Rose had a blank Saturday as the match against Crossgates fell victim to the weather. Next up was a tough trip to league favourites Lochee. Yet again they were to fall victim to a late goal as Lochee pinched the points in the last minute. However, the team could not be faulted for their efforts – they deserved more from the game and the loss of Keith Hogg to a serious injury was difficult to take given the ongoing concerns over Denham and Donnelly.

So, as the team made the short journey to Whitburn, spirits were not high. Injuries meant we had a threadbare squad. However, Gordon Herd was now fully fit and gave the Whitburn defence a torrid afternoon as Rose put a huge dent in Whitburn’s league challenge with a hard-fought 3-2 victory. On the back of the spirited showing at Lochee, the fans started to look forward to the run-in with a degree of optimism that the team could yet silverware to sit alongside the League Cup.

Elsewhere, Rose fans looked on with a degree of envy as their cup conquerors, Queen of the South and Cumnock both marched on in their respective tournaments. Lochee continued to grind out results, Camelon maintained an impressive run of form to take them into the title race and Bo’ness looked set for an immediate return to the ranks of the Super League.

For the final match of the month, Rose headed back up to Dundee for an East of Scotland cup match against Dundee Violet. A bench that included 2 goalkeepers spoke volumes on the state of the squad. However, Rose still had a bit too much for their opponents as they secured a comfortable 3-0 win in difficult conditions although Greig Denham, having made a surprise return to the team again picked up an early injury – a head knock on this occasion.

March had been a mixed month. The lads had shown significant improvement on their form in February but they were still well short of their early season standards. That said, the team chopped and changed on a weekly basis as the onslaught of injuries continued to beset the players. Life wasn’t great but the Rose faithful clung to the lingering hope that a return to fitness for a number of players might yet yield some reward come the end of the season.