Defender Daniel Higgins feels Cove Rangers can head into an important double-header against two of their nearest challengers in League 2 with plenty of confidence.
Paul Hartley’s men, who are five points clear at the summit, make the 400-mile round trip to take on fourth-place Annan Athletic at Galabank this afternoon.
They will then turn their attentions to Edinburgh City, the side directly below them in the league table, with a visit to the capital the following Saturday.
The Citizens defeated Annan 4-3 in the Scottish Cup last weekend and Higgins is anticipating two stern tests over the next two weekends.
He said: “We were frustrated that we had a Saturday off last weekend because we didn’t get through to the next round of the Scottish Cup.
“But it is always nice to get a break after a busy start to the season.
“We are into the second quarter of fixtures now so we know what to expect from the teams we are facing.
“We have made a good start.
“We have two big games coming up against Annan and Edinburgh City.
“They are both away from home so it is going to be tough.
“Every team we come up against wants to beat us but we are just focused on Annan.
“We will see how that game goes before we start to look forward to Edinburgh City.
“We know if we keep doing what we are doing then we should be OK.
“We played Annan at home earlier this season (winning 3-0) and played really well.
“They will be difficult to play against, especially down there.
“They will look to make it hard for us and they are a physical side.
“It is going to be an interesting game and we need to be right at our very best.”
Cove are enjoying a sparkling start to life in the SPFL with the Aberdeen side well ahead of schedule in their immediate aim of consolidating their position in the division.
They have now become favourites for the title but Higgins says there is a long way to go in the race for promotion.
He said: “I don’t think the mentality has ever shifted.
“Even though the talk has been about survival, we want to win every game we play.
“That has been the case since the start of the season.
“The good thing is we have been winning games and we want to keep that going for as long as possible.
“We can’t look too far ahead as anything can happen, it is only December.”
Former Dundee and Kilmarnock defender Higgins joined Cove in July and is delighted with how things have gone.
He said: “I have been loving it so far.
“I have been playing regularly.
“I’m living in Cove, it is a nice area and it has been easy to settle in.
“We have a nice group of guys at the club.
“They are a very down to earth group who like a laugh and joke.
“But they are serious when we need to be and they are all very good players.
“It helps to play alongside top players.”