Peterhead’s Andrew McDonald is bracing himself for the challenge of trying to keep David Goodwillie quiet.
The Blue Toon face Clyde at Balmoor this evening buoyed by having won both their League One fixtures since lower-league football resumed earlier this month.
On Saturday, the Buchan outfit beat Dumbarton 1-0 to move up to fifth in the table, just two points adrift of second spot and nine points ahead of Clyde, who are ninth.
The Bully Wee may be struggling, but in former Aberdeen, Ross County, Dundee United, Blackburn and Scotland striker Goodwillie they have a clinical marksman who has netted nine times in 15 outings this term.
As a result, Peterhead defender McDonald expects a difficult evening.
The 22-year-old, who joined the Blue Toon in January from St Cadoc’s, said: “It is good to be where we are, but the league is very close and we can’t really look beyond the next game.
“I’m not entirely sure what we’ll get from Clyde because I wasn’t playing in this league in the first part of the season, but I’m sure it’ll be a hard game and we’ll need to be at our best. I know they’ve got David Goodwillie and he’s a really good player, especially in this league.”
The win over Dumbarton was McDonald’s first league appearance for Peterhead and he impressed with headers and clearances.
Assessing his display, the former Elgin player added: “It’s the minging side of the game, but you just need to do it and it’s my job. I do the rubbish stuff and leave the good stuff to the good players.
“It’s always good to keep clean sheets and you’d like to get one every week.”
Peterhead’s win at Dumbarton was secured as a result of a fine finish from the edge of the area by McDonald’s good friend Ben Armour.
He said: “It was a good result. I’ve known him (Armour) for about 15 years and I’ve never seen him hit a ball like that in my life.”
Since the lower leagues returned, the Blue Toon have beaten Airdrie and Dumbarton, but were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Stenhousemuir.
Since restarting, the Buchan outfit may not have produced free-flowing football, but for manager Jim McInally points take precedence over performances.
He said: “I’m delighted to take six points from the first two league games back. Really we just need to take one game at a time and try to keep it going.
“With the exception of Alan Cook, it doesn’t look like we’ve got any injuries. It’s another big game against Clyde now.
“Hopefully we can carry a bit of luck with injuries and keep it going.
“It’s been winning football. It maybe wasn’t the best game to watch on Saturday, but it had to be about effective football.
“It’s all about winning and it’s such a big season, because it’s not a full season, and with everything that’s gone on you don’t know what could happen next.
“And if we can keep going and in those play-offs you never know what can happen.”