Paddy Boyle insists Peterhead should be happy with consolidation in League 1 this season.
The Blue Toon are in the bottom half of the division on the back of their promotion in May but Boyle, who joined the club in 2018, believes they can be content with how they have acquitted themselves so far.
Boyle said: “I don’t know what the club’s aims are but when you get promoted, your first aim has to be to come up and consolidate.
“Going down is not an option. In terms of finishing in the play-offs, you have to look at that as a bonus.
“There was a lot of pressure last year – you could see that by missing promotion by a point and losing in the play-offs the previous season. You could feel it through the club. You can enjoy it a bit more but the best way is by winning games and getting results. When you go to Raith Rovers and get tanked, you’re not enjoying it.
“To an extent we’ve got to be happy – we’ve done OK in the Betfred Cup and the league. We’re competitive and don’t expect to be up there with Falkirk and Raith Rovers, in terms of the resources they have.”
His former manager Ian McCall, who managed Boyle at Ayr United and Partick Thistle, last week returned to Firhill for a second spell as manager after the dismissal of Gary Caldwell.
Boyle is pleased to see McCall return to a club he is fond of and says he has a contrasting style to his current boss Jim McInally.
Boyle added: “Since he left there he’s been desperate to back. He’s almost become a Partick Thistle diehard and I’m pleased for him, as he felt like he had unfinished business.
“He’s only on the training ground for a spell and makes his presence known. His strengths are he’s very good at identifying players for the level he’s at, which is one of the biggest strengths you can have as a manager. He came to life in a match scenario on a Saturday and you could sense he was pumped up for it.
“Jim is quite relaxed in the way he goes about things. He will leave it up to the players and give you information you need, but going forward in the game that’s up to you to get yourself sorted and do the business.”