Ross Draper reckons Elgin City can turn the heat on the League Two front-runners by defeating second-placed Stirling Albion at Borough Briggs on Friday.
The midfielder-turned-defender, 34, cannot wait to return to action after last week’s fixture at Albion Rovers was postponed due to the frozen weather in Coatbridge.
Victory over Stirling would trim the gap between Elgin and their visitors to two points going into the New Year, so there’s a massive incentive for a City side with 10 wins from their last 15 fixtures in all competitions.
Last season, Elgin finished ninth in League Two, with the Binos just two places higher, so both clubs are having improved campaigns.
Elgin are also looking to bounce back from their penalty shoot-out loss against League One side Clyde in the SPFL Trust Trophy, with the focus fully on scoring league points.
Former Inverness and Ross County star Draper believes securing a win this week would show a clear intention from the Moray club.
He said: “Dumbarton and Stirling are the top two for a reason – they are both really good sides.
“The difference between Stirling last year and this year has been night and day. It’s credit to both and they deserve to be up there.
“It would be a statement result if we were to win because it would drag them to within two points of us.
“If we win, we really would be within touching distance of the top two, which would be incredible for this club going into 2023.
“We would then get a wee break before we play Forfar Athletic on January 2.
“We’re focused on putting on a strong performance to get the win.”
More goals needed from Elgin defenders
Striker Kane Hester’s stunning scoring form of 22 goals is backed up impressively by 12 from midfielder Russell Dingwall.
Yet, despite Elgin’s strong surge in form, Draper – a Scottish Cup winner with ICT in 2015 – feels there’s more to come from the side.
He said: “If I’m honest, I don’t think we’ve hit top form yet.
“We’ve not hit our peak in terms of playing well week in, week out. We’ve a good squad and a good team to compete high at this level, but we can get better and that’s the plan going into the New Year.
“As long as the boys scoring goals, such as Kane, Russell and Brian (Cameron) remain injury-free, we will always have a chance, especially if we keep it tight at the back.
“The defensive players maybe need to chip in with more goals from set-pieces. We need to help out a bit more, but with these scorers we always have a chance to win games.”
Consistency key in rise for Elgin City
Overall, centre-half Draper has been satisfied with their run of results and want to ensure 2022 ends on a winning note.
He added: “We’ve never gone four or five games without a win and I’d say our form overall this season has been consistent in terms of picking up points on a regular basis.
“We’re happy with how our season is going and a win against Stirling would bring us within touching distance of them in second place. It’s a huge game to finish the calendar year off.
“We want to win this and look back on what has been a really good four or five months and try to replicate that in the New Year.
“There’s nothing in this league really between top and bottom, and those who are most consistent will come out on top.”
Friday football treat for supporters
With the game shifting forward by a day to Friday night, instead of taking place on Christmas Eve, Draper hopes Elgin supporters will turn out in force to back Gavin Price’s free-scoring side as they go all out for victory.
He said: “People are busy on Christmas Eve, so this being a Friday night game is a good one for the fans to get along to.
“I’d encourage fans to get right behind the boys. It’s great for the club to be competing at the top end compared to last year when we were scrapping away.
“Hopefully fans can see how well we’re doing, and it’s up to us to keep them on board – it works both ways.
“It does make a big difference when you’re playing in front of a big home crowd in such a big game against opponents from the top two. It would be a very good three points.”
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