Elated Elgin City boss Gavin Price is relishing the chance to lead the Black and Whites into the promotion play-offs after back-to-back League Two wins this week – but insists it’s far from job done.
First half goals from Aiden Sopel and Tony Dingwall and a Brian Cameron strike earned them a rousing 3-1 home win over Stirling Albion, who got one back through substitute Dylan Bikey.
This result propelled Elgin up to joint second spot, just behind Edinburgh City, who they visit on Saturday.
The maximum points earned within three days shot them from fifth following a weekend where results for their top four rivals left them with it all to do.
However, Price’s fired-up men, who recently went winless over four matches, are firmly back in the game and are real contenders now for a crack at making it into League One.
He said: “The worry was the players would go into their shells after the others’ results left them with a mountain to climb but it was always in our hands. If we won games then we’d be right in it.
“A lot of people wrote us off and that motivated the players.
“We got deserved criticism when we lost 5-2 to Albion Rovers (on April 17) but we had a big heart-to-heart Zoom meeting after that and showed them clips of what we thought was wrong, such as body language, and they have really responded in the right way.
“We have given ourselves a chance but nothing is done yet. These are only good results if we finish in the top four. We need to get another result in Edinburgh. It’s another high-pressure game.”
Three of their goals in Tuesday’s 4-1 stroll at Stranraer came within 10 minutes and the Sopel-Dingwall double cooled early energy from their lively opponents Stirling.
The City boss admits such instant hits helped take control of the contest.
He explained: “We seem to have that ability. We did it here against Stranraer too, with two goals within five minutes. We are a dangerous side and there is no doubt about that. We have just got to keep finding the form at the right time and continue that on Saturday.”
After Saturday’s trip to the capital, Elgin host league winners Queen’s Park on Tuesday in what is shaping up to be a thrilling finale to a shortened 22-fixture league season.
