Defender Owen Cairns reckons Elgin City have to tools to do a job on Stenhousemuir in the SPFL Trust Trophy on Tuesday – but insists defensive solidity is the key.
Elgin’s only competitive win this season came when they defeated Dundee United’s under-20s 1-0 in the first stage of the competition thanks to a Kane Hester goal.
A trio of successive 2-2 draws have held them back in the league, including on Saturday when they had to settle for a share of the spoils at home to Stranraer.
It’s another team from their division who stand in their way in the SPFL Trust Trophy, in the shape of Stenny –Â who also have three points from their first four league games.
Aiming to cash in on home advantage
At the weekend, the Warriors lost 3-1 at home to perfect starters Dumbarton, and Cairns is sure – if City focus on their strengths, including their attacking qualities – they can get the victory.
The right-back said: “The performances are coming. We’re always going to create chances with the attacking options we’ve got.
“It really is just a case of tweaking a few things at the back and I’m sure the wins will come.
“We’d expect a tight game against Stenhousemuir. They’ve been a strong side for years, but we’re at home and they’re having to travel a fair distance on a Tuesday night.
“We’ll go out, play our game and focus on what we’re good at. We knock the ball about well, so we’ll stick to our game plan.
“I’m sure if we tighten up at the back, make sure we’re solid, the chances and goals will take care of themselves.
“It’s about trying to build a winning mentality in these games. If we can win on Tuesday, we can take that into Saturday (away to Dumbarton).
“It creates the expectation that, on our day, we can go out and beat anybody in this league. We’re confident of that.”
Two very different ways to draw 2-2
Cairns, who was at Highland League champions Fraserburgh before joining Elgin this summer, explained their last two league draws must be viewed on their own merits.
The fighting 2-2 outcome at Forfar Athletic was achieved despite red cards for Brian Cameron and Angus Mailer.
Against Stranraer, they came from a goal down to lead 2-1 courtesy of Matthew Cooper and Darryl McHardy goals before the Blues earned the point with a Craig Malcolm reply.
Cairns said: “You look at these games within its context. Two weekends ago, we were to nine men away from home and we got a point. It felt like a win.
“On Saturday, we played really well, especially in the first half, and we led again and ended up drawing again. The boys were a little bit disappointed, because we felt we deserved more from the game.”
Charlesworth making impact at City
Cairns welcomes the recent return to the coaching staff of Charlie Charlesworth, who was previously at Borough Briggs 15 years ago.
Charlesworth has fitted in seamlessly, bringing his managerial experience from Lossiemouth (twice), Deveronvale and Huntly into work with manager Gavin Price and assistant boss Jim Weir.
Cairns said: “I had experience of playing against Charlie’s teams in the Highland League.
“Charlie has been really good around the dressing room.
He has been really good with me, in terms of helping me develop as a player, especially with me being relatively new to the team.
“He’s helping to deliver training sessions which are of a really good standard – you can tell he’s got a very good understanding of the game and he’s extremely enthusiastic.
“I’m sure between him, Gavin and Jim, they will get the best from the players, I’ve no doubt about that.”
All tickets for the Stenny clash at Borough Briggs have been set at £5.
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