Peterhead midfielder Jack Brown is grateful to manager Jim McInally for pitching him straight into action after signing last month.
Brown joined from Highland League side Rothes in January and despite coming to Balmoor short of match-fitness, has been thrown straight in to the team by McInally.
The former Caley Thistle youngster contracted Covid before Christmas, which kept him out of action for the Speysiders and limited his game-time before leaving for the Blue Toon.
But he started against Alloa Athletic and again on Tuesday night in the draw at Falkirk and is relishing the opportunity given to him.
Brown said: “To start in my first game came as a bit of a shock but I can only praise the manager for trusting me, to put me in.
“I need to believe in myself more, that I’m good enough to play at this level. I will improve training and playing with these great players.
“It’s obviously a massive step up from where I was and maybe it was a bit of a shock to start with. But I’m really enjoying it.
“There’s more to come from me. I’ve played three games in two months, with having Covid and getting the move done.
“The boys and the coaching staff have been really good with me and I’m going to improve so much as a player being there.”
Brown says the mood inside the Peterhead dressing room remains positive, despite their struggle to pick up wins and their position in League One.
He added: “It’s still upbeat. We know we’re playing well. We’re not getting too down, just frustrated with the fact we’re not finishing chances.
“We don’t think the results reflect how well we’ve been playing.”
Peterhead take on Dumbarton at home today, with the chance to climb away from the bottom of the division at the forefront of their minds.
Brown added: “We can’t get away from it – it’s one of those games you would put down as a must-win.
“We know Dumbarton will have qualities but we’ve got the quality to win the game. We can take encouragement from Tuesday and the positives we showed into Saturday.”
“We’re a young team and we’re keen to do well. It hurts when we don’t get results that we should be getting, as we know we’re good enough.
“One of the reasons I signed is the fact we’re looking long-term and building a younger team. There’s boys round my age which has helped me settle in quite well.”