BRECHIN City’s title hopes remain in their own hands – but manager Jim Duffy insists it is far too early to be talking of promotion.
Brechin moved up to third place in the Second Division with victory against promotion rivals Stirling Albion on Tuesday and now trail leaders Alloa by just five points, having played two games less.
Alloa’s defeat at Dumbarton has helped the chasing pack narrow the gap but Duffy is interested only in his side maintaining its form.
He said: “Alloa losing brings the teams back into it, but it really does not matter much to me at this stage of the season.
“There are far too many games to go and every club is fighting for something in this division – whether it be the title, a play-off place or to avoid relegation.
“Every game is difficult for that reason so I’m delighted to have come through two very difficult games against Stirling and Dumbarton with six points. We are playing some good football, but you need the desire too and my players are showing that. That is all I’m focusing on.”
Brechin boast the best defensive record in the division, having conceded just 19 goals from 23 games, and Duffy insists the impressive record is just reward for the hard work put in by his defenders.
Stirling, who dropped to fourth following their loss to Brechin, put City under sustained periods of pressure on Tuesday, but the home defence held firm – much to the delight of their manager.
He said: “We have worked on defence a lot this season and have made ourselves a tight unit.
“Our full backs know when to be narrow, which helps the central defenders, and when to push forward and give the team width.
“That has been a big aspect of our play.
“Stirling are a good side and have been challenging all season.
“They showed why as they are a powerful team who get a lot of balls into the box.
“We showed a great appetite, though, and I thought our defending was excellent throughout.
“Had we picked a better pass on the counterattack we could have had more than the one goal to show for our efforts.
“But as far as attitude and commitment goes, we were first class and that has been the case all season.”