It has not been easy to be a Cove Rangers player of late, with their alarming dip in form since the turn of the year.
Cove have conceded 22 goals in five games and have taken some heavy defeats along the way, shipping six against Inverness and Queen’s Park and five at home to Ayr United.
After looking like being able to catch the middle of the pack in the Championship, they now look nervously over their shoulder at Hamilton Accies and Arbroath.
Given their plight it would be easy to point fingers and shirk responsibility. But for defender Brody Paterson, who was new into the squad last month, confidence remains unshaken.
“I think the last couple of weeks has put us down in people’s estimations,” said Paterson. “But I still have full confidence in the squad.
“You see the quality every day in training. You’d be stupid to rule us out. But I’m still confident in the lads that we can do a really good job this season.”
The first defeat of this run against Inverness saw Jim McIntyre lose his job, with Paul Hartley returning to the dugout.
But the comeback of their title-winning manager has not yet yielded a turnaround in form.
“Everyone knows in football there are ups and downs and at the moment, we’re going through a down part,” he said.
“We’ve got enough quality in this squad to turn it around and hopefully we do it as quick as Saturday.
“It was clear to see there were positives to take from Tuesday. There were very cheap goals and that’s something we’ll have to focus on, to try to eradicate.
“It’s more a case of a run of form, than a reflection of the ability of the players. It’s up to us to dig ourselves out of it.”
While goals have been going in at the back, Cove have not been able to put the ball away enough to keep up.
When blows keep coming like they are, it can be hard to keep your head above water.
“Confidence is bound to be a factor but I don’t think it’s the issue,” he added. “In this league you’ve got no time not to be confident. You’ve got to find a way to get results.”
Cove head to Partick Thistle this afternoon in dire need of a result of some kind, just to stop this recent rot.
The squad has needed strengthening, given the departure of key loan players Charlie Gilmour, Jack Sanders and Max Johnston, which has not helped matters.
Hartley has made seven signings since the start of last month, with Paterson believing the upheaval has had an impact.
“It’s what it’s like in January,” he said. “New players come in and you’ve got to hope they hit the ground running.
“When you make a lot of changes it’s hard. But it shouldn’t be impossible. As a team, we’ve got to find a way to gel as quick as we can as we’ve got no time to waste in getting results.”