Paul Hartley’s feet remain firmly on the ground as Cove Rangers look to maintain their hold on the League One summit.
With eight games to go, Cove hold a five-point lead at the top ahead of facing Clyde at the Balmoral Stadium today.
Their nearest-challengers are Airdrieonians, who they play in a fortnight’s time, but Hartley will not get pre-occupied with what might happen further down the line.
He said: “We’re in a nice position but it’s fine margins. We’ve got to keep doing what we’re doing – I’ll never get carried away and predict anything.
“I’ve been in this position enough times as a player and manager. We’ll take it a game at a time and we have confidence in the squad, to keep getting results.
“I can’t look three games ahead, or to the Airdrie game in three weeks’ time. This is the next important game.
“They’ve done well against the teams at the top. They’re a hard team to play against; we’ve found it out, Falkirk have found it out, Airdrie and Queen’s Park too.
“We can’t take anything for granted. We’ve got to keep doing the good things we’ve been doing for most of the season.”
Harry Milne took a lot of plaudits for his performance in the 5-2 win over Peterhead last weekend but Hartley admits he does not like singling out individuals for praise.
They have a good number of key contributors but also unsung heroes like Blair Yule and Connor Scully, who have been accomplished in several roles across the pitch this season.
Hartley said: “They’re all doing well. I don’t like singling people out that much. They know if they want to stay in the team, they’ve got to perform to the highest level.
“The players who are versatile, they adapt and do their job. The two (Scully and Yule) can fit in anywhere without any moans or groans.
“They go in and say ‘right, I’m a good team player today’. It might not be their best position or their favourite position, but they know they can go in and get on with their business.”
Cove are without Ryan Strachan for the game as he continues to struggle with an Achilles problem. Shay Logan returns to the squad after more than a month out with a hamstring injury.
It means Hartley has virtually a full-strength squad to choose from for the run-in.
He added: “We were caught a bit short last year. We didn’t have enough depth in the group and had quite a lot of young players we’d take on loan.
“This year we feel we’ve got that steeliness about us, with experienced guys who’ve been over the course before and know what it takes.
“I’m confident in the group that we’ve got and how they work. I don’t think you can ever get too comfortable.
“I trust the players and we trust each other. No matter what team we pick, whoever comes in knows what they have to do to get a result.”