Jack Wilkie feels he has benefitted from his season at Peterhead despite the club’s struggles on the park.
The Blue Toon are embroiled in a relegation battle but the teenage defender, on loan from Dundee, reckons there is plenty he has learned from his experiences.
Wilkie has featured regularly under both Jim McInally and David Robertson in his first taste of senior football.
The adversity he has faced has taught him more than if he had been parachuted into a winning side.
“If I didn’t have this season, then heading into the next one I’d have to start all over again. It’s bringing out my character,” said Wilkie.
“Everyone knows we haven’t won a lot of games. It has been tough after games trying to deal with it.
“I feel if I can get through situations like that, it will be put me in a good position.”
Sticking together in adversity
Wilkie continues to train during the week with his parent club, as well as two sessions with Peterhead.
He feels he can give more to the cause in the run-in, as the Blue Toon scrap for every point possible.
“The way we play, I’ve not been as on the ball as I would like to,” he added.
“Defensively, it’s helped me a lot and I feel I’ve got so much more to offer the team.
“I feel I can give so much more. I just need to express myself and show my team-mates what I’ve got.
“When things aren’t going well, you need to stay together as a team and help each other out.
“You want to express yourself but certain situations in the game don’t let you do it. I’ve just got to deal with it.”
Consistency difficult as squad overhauled
The squad has been overhauled massively this season, with more than 30 players signed between the two managers.
It has been difficult to establish any sort of consistency with the frequent changes to the starting line-up.
“We’re trying to get the system right and I think some of the boys coming in are going to help with that,” added Wilkie.
“There’s been a lot of chopping and changing but we’ve got to keep positive.
“Jordon Brown came in and played consistently then got injured. We’ve been trying to find the balance in midfield and there’s been changes in formation at times.
“It is difficult but that’s what I’ve got to adapt to. There’s going to be a lot more experiences like this.”
Peterhead and tomorrow’s opponents Clyde are well adrift of the rest in League One, with 18 points separating the two sides from automatic safety.
Robertson’s only win as manager came when the two sides met at Balmoor last month and it looks to be a straight battle between the two clubs for automatic relegation and the play-offs, with 12 games left.
“We can only focus on ourselves,” said Wilkie. “If we focus on Clyde too much, boys might start to over-think stuff and the nerves might take over.
“If we pick up as many points as we can, that’s us done our job. The aim is to stay up and if we focus on Clyde too much, it’ll distract us.”
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