Montrose boss Stewart Petrie admits he’s gutted his ‘last game’ at Hampden Park ended in heartache.
Petrie’s side performed exceptionally well against Championship side Queen’s Park before falling to a 2-0 SPFL Trust Trophy defeat at The National Stadium.
Petrie urged his players to savour the experience of playing at the iconic arena.
But he was left bitterly disappointed by the defeat.
“It’s a great stadium and a fabulous experience for the players to play here,” said Petrie.
“I spoke to the players through the week about coming to Hampden and told them to enjoy the occasion.
“Some of them have played here before. I’m sure Craig Brown has been here more than most, given who his grandad is.
“But for most of us this will probably be the last chance we get to be involved in a game here.
“It will probably be my last chance as manager here with Queen’s Park moving on.
“The only way I could see me back here is if we get to the semi-final of the Scottish Cup next season.
“It was a great experience but we are disappointed we never got anything – even a goal – for our fans.”
Stewart Petrie: I’d rather play poorly and win
Montrose had their chances, most notably through Brown and sub Matthew Wright but they couldn’t convert.
Queen’s won the game through goals from Dominic Thomas and Joshua McPake to leave Montrose focusing on their Championship promotion bid.
Petrie added: “When you play a team like Queen’s Park and create that many chances then you know you’ve done well.
“But we haven’t scored and are ultimately out of the cup which is very disappointing.
“I’d rather play poorly and win 1-0 to be in the next round of the cup.”
