Interim co-boss Charlie Charlesworth wants his confident Elgin City players to move one step closer to League Two survival by winning after their epic trip to Stranraer.
The experienced coach, alongside Stevie Dunn and Ross Draper, make up the temporary managerial team following the recent sacking of manager Gavin Price and his assistant Jim Weir.
They were denied a win at the death and had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Stenhousemuir, but followed that with Saturday’s impressive 2-0 home win against promotion-chasing Forfar Athletic.
Those four points lifted Elgin clear by that margin away from Sandy Clark’s basement side Albion Rovers and they are now two points ahead of Bonnyrigg Rose.
Their win over the Loons on Saturday was also their first shut-out since beating the same team 1-0 on January 2.
Saturday’s hosts Stranraer, who were thumped 8-0 at East Fife last week, appointed Scott Agnew as their new boss on Tuesday, and City can overtake them by two points with two games to go. Agnew replaced boss Jamie Hamill and assistant manager Darryl Duffy.
Should Elgin win at Stair Park, and Albion Rovers lose at home to Stenhousemuir, the Moray club’s position in the fourth-tier would be confirmed.
Confidence has been restored at City
Charlesworth is quietly confident Elgin can deliver a massive win after their early alarm calls on Saturday ahead of their 540-mile round trip.
He said: “Our main focus is to ensure we’re a League Two club next season.
“From top to bottom of this club, we’re doing everything in our power to make sure that’s the case.
“Inwardly, we’re confident we can do this, especially after the last two results. However, we’re counting no chickens and we don’t want any of the squad to think that either.
“After the 3-0 defeat at Albion Rovers two weeks ago, we were at the lowest of the low, bottom of the league and Gavin and Jim had been relieved of their duties. The whole club was in disarray.
“The following Tuesday (in the 1-1 home draw against Stenhousemuir) we noticed some green shoots of recovery from the players’ perspective. Confidence was restored to a certain extent and we built upon that.
“Against Forfar, everything played out pretty well for us. The players have been magnificent in how they have reacted and adjusted to the situation.
“As far as I’m concerned, we’re not out of the woods. While we’re delighted with the progress, the club is in limbo a little bit right now until we know what the outcome (of the season) is.
“It would be nice to get mathematically clear of bottom place then the club can make decisions in terms of the manager’s position and other aspects associated with the club.”
MAN OF THE MATCH
Our Gordon & MacPhail Whisky Red Door man of the Match for our games last week were Ross Draper and Kane Hester!
Kane’s was presented by Blair Tulloch from Tullochs of Cummingston while our own Isla Benzie presented Draper with his!
Congrats guys! ⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/2yWmfN1ixt
— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) April 17, 2023
Elgin City ‘taking nothing for granted’
Charlesworth hopes Stranraer don’t get an instant lift from Agnew’s appointment, but says the key for Elgin is to just get their own game in good order once more.
He said: “It’s a 6am start for us on Saturday, going to Stranraer, so it’s a big demand on everyone.
“We’ve had to rest some players this week. There have been a few with ragged edges in terms of injuries and fatigue, so we will see how we are for Saturday.
“I think it’s a case of us concentrating on ourselves. We shouldn’t be looking at what other clubs are doing, which we’ve maybe done a little bit too much this season.
“We’re looking at our plan and our tactics and adjust the game if you need to.
“We’re taking nothing for granted and let’s hope Stranraer don’t get the managerial bounce that we’ve had.
“To have this turnaround in results so quickly was massively important and, to a certain extent, a dream for us.
“Everything just becomes that little bit easier after good results and that’s without taking any emphasis away from the position we’re in.
“It’s a massive plus for us, as a management team, that we can speak to the players now and they have the confidence to go out and do what we ask them to do.”
END OF SEASON AWARDS
Promises to be a great night!
In partnership with @Mikeysline1 & @BackOnside ⚫️⚪️
Full info https://t.co/n6KocpLHgv pic.twitter.com/ZMgZ2y5KrB
— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) April 18, 2023
Starlet takes on board early advice
Charlesworth has been delighted to see 19-year-old winger Matt Jamieson grab his chance in the team in the past fortnight and felt he is already showing a willingness to learn.
He added: “Matty has been on the fringes and he came on as a sub for Dylan Lawrence (against Stenhousemuir) and he did well and he bettered that against Forfar on Saturday.
“I had a chat with him about a couple of things he needs to to better and he took that on quickly, that was namely to protect the ball and bring other players (into play).
“He’s been getting up the park and taking the full-back with him, which is excellent. He had an assist, to a certain extent, for Aaron Reid’s goal after Kane Hester’s shot was stopped and Aaron stuck it away.
“Matty is a young lad, so we will see if we can keep the standards up until we can get some respite.”
Dylan Lawrence, who suffered a head knock against Stenny, should return to contention for this weekend.
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