Jason Brown is relishing his battle with former Peterhead team-mate Rory McAllister as Cove Rangers head to Balmoor.
McAllister has been prolific for Cove this season, finding the net on 15 occasions and recapturing some of the form which made him a favourite at Peterhead.
Brown played alongside the experienced striker for two-and-a-half years, prior to McAllister joining Cove at the start of 2020. The two are also friends off the park, which adds an extra edge to this local rivalry.
Peterhead defender Brown wants to challenge himself against the best and hopes facing McAllister can bring the best out of him.
He said: “It’s always good to play against the best forwards and without doubt, he’s one of them.
“I met him the other day and we had a few kind words in passing. We’re really good pals off the pitch but on Sunday I’m sure it’ll be a tough battle for both of us.
“It’s one we always look forward to and I enjoy testing myself against that type of player. In this league there’s a fair few good forwards – you’ve got Mitch (Megginson) who obviously can’t play on Sunday, (David) Goodwillie and Rory too. These are the guys you want to play against.
“I’ve played with him and played against him; I know what he’s all about and I’m sure he knows what I’m all about. I’ll try use that to my advantage.
“But I’ve been playing reasonably well recently so I’ll be looking more at myself. If I can keep up a high standard of performance individually, then the rest will take care of itself.”
It also gives Peterhead the chance to put right their most disappointing result of the season: the 3-0 reverse against Cove at the Balmoral Stadium in November.
Brown added: “If you look at our performances recently we’ve been really good.
“That Cove game is probably the worst game since I’ve been at Peterhead. We know how good we can play and hopefully we can take confidence from our recent performances.
“It’s so bunched in the middle of the table now. If you put two or three good results together you’ll be in amongst it.
“We’re not too far way but we need to keep concentrating and know, if we play to the level we can, we can be up there rather than looking behind ourselves.”