Cove Rangers defender Ryan Strachan insists his side are happy to keep playing through player shortages and let others chase them.
The League One leaders were down to 14 players for the game against Peterhead on Sunday, two of which were goalkeepers, but they were able to grind out a 1-0 win.
Striker and captain Mitch Megginson was suspended, Iain Vigurs was injured, while Harry Milne, Fin Robertson and Jamie Masson all missed out.
Cove boss Paul Hartley said after the game they were happy to keep playing – even if it was with “13 or 14 players” – to allow them to get points on the board, although it means some late selections headaches.
Promotion hopefuls Queen’s Park had their weekend fixture against Clyde postponed due to Covid cases at the club, while Falkirk also requested a call-off against Alloa Athletic for similar reasons.
Queen’s had also seen their last game against Dumbarton scrubbed after the Sons had insufficient players to fulfil the fixture.
But the message from Cove appears to be they are quite happy to keep plugging away to maintain their stranglehold at the top of the division.
Strachan said: “We just want to keep playing, keep winning and keep the momentum and confidence going.
“That’s us now 16 points ahead of Queen’s Park. It’s tight with Montrose, who are having their games on, but we’ve got them at home in less than two weeks so that should be a good game.
“I think if there’d been much more then we would have been struggling, but we’ve managed to field a team.
“That’s maybe the difference with us this year. We’re still predominantly the same 11, but we’ve got strength in depth all the way through now.”
The lack of options available to Hartley saw Strachan pushed into a different midfield role in the second half against Peterhead, one he had not fulfilled for several years.
He added: “If I can contribute anywhere to help the team get three points, then I’ll do it.
“If the manager and assistant manager thought that was the right thing to do then I’m happy to help.”