Huntly goalkeeper Fraser Hobday says his team are targeting the three sides directly above them in the Breedon Highland League before the season ends, with a win over Rothes their first priority.
The Black and Golds travel to Mackessack Park today, with five points currently separating ninth (Huntly, 35 points) and seventh (Rothes, 40 points) position. Nairn County are eighth with 36 points, while Inverurie Locos have 41 points and sit sixth.
All four teams have played 29 games to this point.
Their league standing is something Huntly are desperate to improve on in the final weeks of the season, with Hobday saying they are determined to finish the campaign on a positive note.
He said: “We’re going into the Rothes game full of confidence. We had a rough start to the season, but we’re definitely a team on the up.
“If somebody had said to us then that we’d be playing for that sixth, seventh or eighth spot by the end of the season, we definitely would’ve taken that.
“We know Rothes had a poor result midweek, so they’ll be looking for a response – but we’re not far behind them, so they should be looking over their shoulder at us.
“A win would take us right back up into that group, which is what we’re aiming for.
“I’ve had seasons before in this league where near the end you’re just playing to finish the season, but we feel like we’ve really got something to play for. We want to end the season strongly and bring that into next season.”
Hobday feels manager Allan Hale and his assistant Stefan Laird have instilled a strong mindset in their squad, adding: “Our draw with Locos (1-1) last weekend just wasn’t good enough for us – we’ve got to be hungry every week and demand more from ourselves.
“We’re showing the fighting spirit to get to where we want to be in the league. We just need to keep that momentum going for the rest of the season and keep looking up.”
Wilson: Rothes look to put right ‘disappointing’ midweek showing
On Wednesday, Rothes suffered a 3-1 defeat at Turriff United – a frustrating outcome after they had earned a hard-fought point at leaders Buckie Thistle (1-1) last weekend.
Their top scorer Aidan Wilson – who netted the Speysiders’ goals in both matches and is now on 18 strikes for the campaign, which is the highest tally outside the top-five – said: “It was very disappointing.
“Not to take away from Turriff, who played some great football, but we just didn’t turn up.
“Given the performance we put in for the Buckie game, to go into midweek and be nowhere near the standards from Saturday (it’s frustrating). We didn’t full-on press them from the start and they came into the game.
“(Against Huntly) we just need to get the ball down from the start and play. We need to go in with the attitude it’s not a given and it’s going to be a tough one for us.
“Sometimes with our style we can be solid at times defending and we’re so good at catching teams on the counter-attack. It’s a big part of our play, and I think it can be a factor when we come up against teams where we have more possession.
“There are times where we play teams in the lower half, have more of the ball, and we do play football and score goals, but I think midweek was just one of those games where we didn’t perform the way we should have.”
On his campaign personally, the 22-year-old said: “It’s definitely been my best season so far. I’ve had a bit more consistency and being in the team more regularly has helped out.
“I’ve been looking after myself a bit better as well – more gym work and just keeping myself fit. I’ve avoided any niggles as well and had a pretty injury-free season, which has all kind of helped.”
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