Peterhead striker Russell McLean insists he is capable of challenging the top goalscorers in League One this season.
McLean has cracked double-figures for the season but has been left frustrated by missed chances in recent games, particularly in last week’s defeat to Cove Rangers.
But he remains optimistic he can catch the likes of Rory McAllister, Mitch Megginson and David Goodwillie, who lead the way in the division.
“I’ve missed a few chances along the way but I’ve been told by plenty of coaches, the worrying thing is if you’re not getting chances,” he said.
“If you’re missing them it’s not the worst thing in the world. Ten have gone in so far.
“I’m always looking at goalscoring charts and I see the boys that are up above me. I want to be up there with them.
“You look at Rory and Mitch, they’re playing in a team at the top of the league so they’re going to get a lot of chances. The probability of them scoring is going to be higher.
“But the chances on Sunday are ones I should have been scoring. I’d have been going off my head if they’d fallen to Del (Lyle) or Niah (Payne) and they’d missed, so I can imagine how the boys were feeling about me missing.
“I want to be at the top end of the goalscoring charts come the end of the season so I need to take those chances.”
He has been reasonably pleased with Peterhead’s form of late but heading into Saturday’s trip to Queen’s Park, knows the results have not necessarily reflected their displays on the park.
“I know there’s no point dwelling on things but I look back at games against Clyde and East Fife and wonder where we could have been if we’d held on,” added McLean.
“Those are two games we never should have dropped points in.
“Two more points off Clyde and we would distance ourselves considerably from the three or four teams at the bottom.
“In the Dumbarton game, the result wasn’t really flattering and anyone who was there would have said we blew them away.
“The Montrose performance typified why they are in the position they are in. They were very poor in the first half and marginally better in the second and go away with a 2-0 win. We pass them off the pitch for large parts of the game and come away with nothing.
“It’s maybe something we need to bring out of our game; even when we’re not playing well, don’t get beat. Hang in the game and there’s always a chance to nick it at some point.”
He has also been pleased by the impact of Ryan Duncan, who has made a positive impact at Peterhead in a short space of time.
“It’s only a game and a bit but you can see his quality,” said McLean. “The ball he puts in for my chance in the first half (against Cove), the likes of James Tavernier and Borna Barisic would be proud of that kind of cross.
“He’s put it right on the money, which is why I’m so frustrated I’ve not scored. You can see he’s a clever player and likes to do things first time.
“It’s exciting to have him until the end of the season and hopefully me and him can strike up a partnership. Hopefully he can show us what he can do and help us get more points on the board.”