Cove Rangers boss Paul Hartley refused to be downcast after the club suffered their first league defeat of the season.
The League 2 leaders were beaten 3-2 at Stenhousemuir on Saturday but the progress made in their first three months as an SPFL club means Hartley cannot be overly critical.
He said: “We started really well. Credit to Stenny they had a game plan pressed us really hard but we still had good opportunities in the second half.
“I’m not too critical of the players. In the first quarter of games we were magnificent and it is our first defeat in nine.
“Sometimes we are going to face these types of games where we don’t always win. It’s a different challenge now on how we are going to react.
“They have been great. It’s not a good feeling but if you said after the first quarter of games we would be top of the league we would have taken that.
“We lost sloppy goals but we had the chance to score more goals today. We had a lot of possession but we will go again.”
Martin Scott scored his first league goal for Cove and also felt his side were unlucky to leave without at least a point.
He said: “That was my first goal this season, which was pleasing. I got injured in the Betfred Cup and struggled to get back into the team as they kept grinding out the results.
“Teams are going to be up for it against the top of the league. Stenny were good on the day. On another day we may have sneaked a draw but it wasn’t to be.
“There is a winning mentality at Cove if you look at the record in the Highland League and the play-offs.
“We are a team with a great win record. The sign of a good team is to bounce back. We have a really strong squad and there is no reason why we can’t go on another run.”