Speaking just before his side took on Brechin in the Forfarshire Cup final on Tuesday, Steven said he would be prepared to give youth a chance against the Glebe Park side.

"I don't know whether having the Forfarshire Cup final to play is a good thing or not.

"It would be a nice fixture if we had nothing to play for in the league and a big squad at my disposal.

"It is a cup final and we will go all out to win, but a few of our U19s will get their chance."

Goalkeeper Tony Bullock has a cracked rib and the manager himself has an ankle injury and he says no risks will be taken with Saturday's trip to Berwick on the horizon.

Hugh Davidson is suspended for Saturday, so he was a certain starter against Brechin.

"For the Brechin match and against Berwick we will assemble the best squad possible and tackle the games head on.

"The cup final is a great opportunity for some of our young players to stake a claim. Brechin are in a similar position to ourselves. They have injuries and they are already in the play-offs."

The Montrose boss knows Berwick will be tough opponents as they try to win their final game in front of their own fans.

"Berwick drew with Annan, so they are no mugs. We will take things game by game.

"If Stenhousemuir win against Annan it is over for us. We want that one to be a draw or an Annan win.

"We cannot worry about other results. We just have to look after our own game."

Speaking immediately after his side's 2-1 win over Cowdenbeath, Steven said: "The win keeps our hopes alive and it was thoroughly deserved.

"We played all the football. We lost a goal which we thought was offside, but we fought back to win.

"That is unusual, as in this division, the team that goes in front usually wins, but my players showed great application."

The manager headed home a corner to bring Montrose level at 1-1 and joked: "That is two in two home games, so I'll have to stop now.

"We worked hard to keep our season alive, but we also got the ball down and played football.

"I have said before that 54 points might be enough to get us into the play-offs and we will do all we can to make that come true.

"It is a tight old league and everyone can beat everyone else. It is important to win your home games and we have been strong at home recently.

"The whole team did well against Cowdenbeath and Hugh Davidson and Stephen Black controlled the midfield."