Gavin Price insists Elgin City do not have to prove their capabilities as they search for their first points against Annan Athletic this term.
City have suffered three defeats against Peter Murphy’s men this term, with two 2-0 defeats at Borough Briggs bookending a 4-1 away loss in December.
Price, whose eighth-placed side have defeated Kelty Hearts and Forfar Athletic this term, says the challenge of reversing that trend is not beyond the Black and Whites this weekend.
He said: “We won 3-0 there last season and we won 4-0 the season before.
“We are going to need to be at our best, though, because Annan are a good side in good form.
“It’s one of the more difficult fixtures we’ve got left in the campaign, but we will hope to keep the points ticking over.
“We know we are more than capable against anybody in this league.
“That has shown from the points we have taken from Forfar and Kelty this season.
“We know we can compete against the top of the table. We’ve just got to make sure we are at our best.”
Annan have shown fine form in recent weeks, winning four of their last five games to move second in League Two.
Price has been impressed by Saturday’s opponents, adding: “I don’t think they have changed.
“Peter has got his team very well organised, and they have recruited two or three of their ex-players back such as Aidan Smith, Tony Wallace and Chris Johnston who are well-suited to the style.
“They have got dangerous forward players and they are traditionally very good defensively.
“They are a very difficult team to play against, but I tend to find the first goal is vital.
“We just have to make sure we keep ourselves in the game.”
Black and Whites back on track
Elgin’s own form has improved in recent weeks, with a 3-1 win over Stirling Albion followed by last weekend’s 0-0 draw at Forfar Athletic.
Price feels City are in the zone ahead of the trip to Galabank.
He added: “We are definitely in a better place. The last two performances have been good.
“In the Stirling game, we created a lot of chances, and we did reasonably well against Forfar and defended a lot better as a team.
“It’s been much improved in the last couple of weeks and hopefully that continues.
“I thought we defended really well on Saturday, which gives us a good foundation.
“We will not look any further ahead than what we’ve got on Saturday, and we will try and get the maximum we can out of the game.”
Youngster goes out on loan
Young Elgin defender Ben Cormack, meanwhile, has joined Highland League side Clach until the end of the season.
The 16-year-old signed a pro contract with the Moray club this term and is an Elgin player until the summer of 2024.
Young Defender Ben Cormack will join @clachnacuddin for the remainder of the Season.
Good Luck Ben 🖤 pic.twitter.com/swfSCSgIWY
— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) March 10, 2022