COWDENBEATH boss Billy Brown will be stepping up his search for players this week despite being delighted with the way his team tackled Highland League champions Buckie Thistle.

The 4-2 win put the Blues top of Betfred Cup Group C on Saturday but the manager was thinking ahead.

Also Dundee United beat Buckie on Wednesday 3-0 away from home to go clear top while Dundee beat Raith Rovers 2-1 at Kirkcaldy on Tuesday so while the Blues are in second spot will have to beat the Dundee clubs in their next two games to maintain their challenge.

Cowden will have Dundee United and Dundee to face in their next two ties, starting with United on Sunday at Tannadice, then the Dees at Central Park on Wednesday night.

After Saturday’s good win over Buckie, a team who had scored 163 goals last season in all competitions, the manager acknowledged his squad is short on numbers at present.

He said: “I must say that I was pleased with some of the football and the goals we scored in the Buckie match.

“When we got the ball down and played we gave them an awful lot of trouble and should have scored more than four goals.

“It was a very good win and just the way to start the competition, but when you looked at our bench against Buckie there was no experienced players at all.

“We need at least four players to come in and help the outstanding young players we have here.”

Looking at the Buckie performance in more depth he said: “Some of the chances we created were really of the highest quality, while the contribution from everyone was good and the way teenagers Cammy Muirhead and Ryan Connelly took their goals was something to savour.

“If we can get the right sort of player in to help these guys and the other youngsters we have we can have a good season.”

Mr Brown intends using the loan route to strengthen the cause but he wants two or three players signed also.

Meanwhile David Syme picked up a double against Buckie to add to his goal against Queen of the South in a friendly, all headers, and he feels that after last season’s trials and tribulations the Blue Brazil could have their eyes on the top four of Ladbrokes League 2 this term.

He said: “To lose a goal in the way we did after only four minutes and come back and score four times is really encouraging.

“I came on loan from Raith Rovers for the last three months of the season and I felt we played well in the closing 12 games and the performance against Buckie was of a similar quality.

“If the boss can get in the players he is looking for there is no reason why we cannot be challenging at the right end of the table this season.”

Defender Shaun Rutherford went off with a suspected stress fracture on Saturday and will be very doubtful for the Dundee United tie as will Jack Whittaker who had to be 'subbed'. The Sunday tie has a 3pm start.