SHATTERED Troon FC assistant boss Matt Maley conceded his side missed out on a great opportunity to make history.

They suffered a 2-0 home defeat against Lochee United in the quarter-finals of the Macron Scottish Junior Cup.

The Seasiders had been hoping to make their first semi-final.

But Maley feels they could have played better and said: “We are all gutted - myself, Jim Kirkwood ( the manager) and the players. This was a really big day for the club and the town and I really believe we will never have a better opportunity. There was a great atmosphere and we got some great support.”

Maley added: “Lochee are a good side but not a great side, we had done our homework and felt we could win. A mistake led to the first goal- Steven McCreadie lost possession on the halfway line and Lewis Clark slipped. There were just 12 minutes left and Jimmy said to go for it by pushing forward. It was a gamble and we lost another goal."

The Troon assistant feels his side under-performed and added: “We are capable of playing better as we have a good squad."

Saturday sees Troon host Kirkintilloch Rob Roy and Maley said: “This will be a massive three points and we will have to go for them.”