Elgin City assistant manager Steven Mackay says the importance of today’s League Two match against Stenhousemuir is not lost on the Black and Whites.
City are eighth, but only a point above today’s opponents who prop up the table.
Gavin Price’s men have only recorded one win so far from their opening seven games, and went down to a 2-0 loss at home to Annan Athletic last weekend.
Although Mackay sees today’s game as a chance to reignite form, he is also wary of Stenny’s need for the points.
He said: “Everyone at the club knows this is an important game for us.
“It was a disappointing day last weekend, and we just need to bounce back. It’s as simple as that.
“You always get an opportunity to right your wrongs very quickly, and that’s what this game presents to us.
“Stenny have probably not had the start they were hoping for either, but it’s a very tight league with fine margins.
“It’s something I’m learning. With a couple of positive results you can climb into mid-table and into the play-offs very quickly. Equally if you lose or draw a couple of games you can see yourself falling down.
“We are eighth, but if we win and other results go our way we could be sitting in sixth. Stenny are sitting bottom but just a point behind ourselves, so they will be trying to get a positive result to get themselves off the foot of the table.
“It’s an important game from both perspectives, but it gives ourselves an opportunity to get three points and climb the league to where we want to be.”
Leading scorer Kane Hester will not feature, having been withdrawn after coming on as a substitute against Annan in a match he was not expected to be fit for.
Mackay says Elgin are keen to take their time to ensure the striker makes a full recovery, adding: “He felt his hamstring was just tight initially, and he felt during the warm-up he was OK.
“If Kane Hester is fit we are always going to want to put him on the park, but in retrospect I think it wasn’t a good call from us.
“He won’t be available, and it’s something we are assessing with the physiotherapists and our team to see what the recovery period looks like. We need to see what we need to do to ensure he’s 100% fit the next time he plays.”