Winger Conor O’Keefe has set his sights sets on six points within four days as Elgin City aim to prove their nightmare spell is over.
After six matches without a win, which included a Scottish Cup replay loss to West of Scotland Premier League opponents Clydebank, the Moray side faced a tension-filled clash with Cowdenbeath on Saturday.
Their inconsistent form this season has seen Elgin plummet to ninth position and they were only three points ahead of the Blue Brazil ahead of the Borough Briggs showdown.
Thankfully, in a match they should have won with far more ease, an Archie MacPhee goal earned Gavin Price’s team three points.
It means they go to Stranraer on Saturday with the chance to replace them in eighth place ahead of Tuesday’s rearranged home league match with old foes Edinburgh City.
Plenty of time to rise up League Two
Former St Mirren starlet O’Keefe explained how the players are determined to roll their sleeves up and deliver three wins on the spin.
He said: “We just need to build on last Saturday and be a bit more clinical in front of goal. We also have a game in hand against Edinburgh next Tuesday, so if we can emerge with six points then the table will look a lot better for us.
“It is a great squad at the club this season and that’s why we’re disappointed to be where we are. We should be in or around the play-off spots. But there is still a lot of time left.
“A run of three or four wins can get you right back up there. That’s all it takes to be in contention and we are more than capable of doing that.”
Side believed win would come
The 23-year-old, who has racked up 18 appearances for City this season, came off the bench in the weekend’s win over Cowdenbeath, who recently appointed ex-Motherwell coach and former Rangers star Maurice Ross as their new manager.
O’Keefe was delighted how the Elgin lads coped with a game which had so much riding on it.
He added: “It was a six-pointer. Even so early in the season, it was a big game for us.
“The result has put Cowdenbeath a wee bit adrift of us and we needed the win. We have been playing well recently, but the results hadn’t been falling for us.
“In front of goal, we’ve not been as clinical as we should have been, but the performances have been positive. It was good to see it all come together on Saturday.”
Sound foundation laid in Forfar
After being knocked out the cup by the Bankies, City lifted their game, but lost out 2-1 away to high-flying promotion contenders Forfar Athletic.
O’Keefe reckons the performance at Station Park was good preparation for the match against Cowden, where they opened up a six-point gap at the bottom.
He said: “We knew going to Forfar it was going to be hard and it was all about trying to get back on track. We needed to be tighter at the back and be more clinical up front.
“On Saturday, we created plenty of chances and it was a strong performance.
“We were saying before the game to keep performing as we have been and the results will come. We knew we were not playing badly.
“Results were going to turn and we ended the poor run against Cowdenbeath.”