Aberdeenshire head coach Alex Duncan hopes the return of key personnel can help the club move into promotion contention in the next two games.
Club captain Greig Ryan and Brad Fraser join Connor Fulton in bolstering the forwards for tomorrow’s trip to Kirkcaldy.
Duncan believes their absence was a major factor in his side’s 36-20 loss at Cartha Queen’s Park last weekend.
The Shire coach said: “Greig, Brad and Connor return and their presence will beef up our forwards. It was an area where we were understrength last week.
“We may have Jack Hall available at scrum half as well which would be an added bonus. He has suffered from niggling injuries so far this season, but we hope he will be able to play.
“Kirkcaldy is never an easy game, especially away from home as they tend to be strong on their home turf.
“That’s why having Greig back in the fold is massive. He is a talisman for us and leads the team well.”
With two games remaining before the winter break the importance of staying in the hunt has not been lost on the Shire coach.
Last week’s loss leaves his side 10 points adrift of leaders Kelso at the halfway stage of the campaign.
Duncan said: “This is the first game of the second round of fixtures and we’re looking to end 2016 on a high in the final two matches of the year.
“There are only 10 points separating the leading five teams in the league which shows you how tough National 2 is this season.
“Kirkcaldy are no walk-overs and the same could be said for all the teams in the bottom half of the division. They are all very dangerous and we don’t take any side lightly.
“We’re trying to build continuity in terms of selection of personnel and performance as we head towards the business end of the season and individuals such as Greig and Brad make a big difference to this team. Having them available isn’t enough as we still have to do the business.”