Striker Josh Peters returns to Forfar Athletic tomorrow eager to help fire Elgin City back to form.
The Moray men are keen to lift the mood after their 2-1 Scottish Cup replay defeat against West of Scotland Premier Division side Clydebank last week.
More than that, they need to swiftly rediscover their winning form in League Two, with a current position of second-bottom haunting them.
In contrast, Forfar are one point behind second-placed Stirling Albion, and seven points adrift of leaders Kelty Hearts.
Forward Peters, who is desperate to be unleashed in attack, admits it’s time for the team to deliver, starting against the Loons, who dropped down from League One in May.
He said: “The league table never lies. We are ninth for a reason. It is because we have not performed well enough, but that can quickly change, even over the course of a couple of weeks.
“Obviously, we had a bad day on Saturday against Clydebank, but training has been good this week. I’d say the standard has actually risen a fair bit over the last couple of weeks.
“All the boys were in good form this week and we need to be, as there’s no point sulking. That’s when things go from bad to worse.
“There is no point dwelling on it. We need to look ahead. We know the quality we’ve got and that we’re much better than the results and performances have shown this season.”
Attractive game on cards at Forfar
The 25-year-old, who has also been at Livingston, Stirling Albion and Queen’s Park, reckons this weekend’s game will allow Elgin to play to their strengths, with the ball on the deck.
He added: “I was a Forfar and there are still people there I know. It’s a great club and they gave me my first chance in professional football.
We will be showing our match vs Forfar this Saturday in our Social Club so pop down and watch the game with us 📺 🍺
Our bar will be open 2pm – 6pm
— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) November 4, 2021
“They have improved a lot this year. They recruited well over the summer and they’ll want to push back up the leagues. It won’t be an easy game, they are a good outfit.
“We know if we play to our potential, we are good enough to get a result.
“It will be a good game between two teams who like to play good football. We have the players to play that way. Maybe we’ve not shown that enough.
“Some teams in this league don’t have that style of play and they’re more direct. We are then dragged into their game.
“We need to stick to what we’re good at, while staying safe at the back.
“We start the game with a point, so if we can keep more clean sheets we’ll have a chance. At the other end, we also need to score more. Hopefully we can get that right on Saturday.”
BB BEER AND BURGER 🍔 🍻
Come join us on the 2nd of January for our first BB BEER AND BURGER hospitality 🤩
Cost is ONLY £35pp which includes:
⚽️ BB Burger & Chips
⚽️Complimentary drink on arrival
⚽️Seat in the Stand
⚽️Q&A with Manager
⚽️Man of the Match presentation— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) November 3, 2021
Peters believes a win at Station Park can provide the spark to ignite their faltering season.
He said: “Confidence is a massive factor too. Once you get one good result, it breeds confidence. You then look like a different team once you have momentum behind you.
“Hopefully Saturday will be the turning point in our season. It has not been the best of starts, but we still have plenty of time to recover from it.”
Promotion shot so close last season
Overall, former Strathspey Thistle striker Peters rates this season’s League Two as better than last and believes all opponents are tougher nuts to crack.
He added: “The standard of the league has certainly improved this season. It looks like Kelty Hearts will run away with it, which they should do with the budget they have and the players they can bring in. The other clubs in and around the top half of the league have also improved.
Although we haven’t made too many signings, I didn’t feel we needed to. Last year, we were really unfortunate to lose (against Edinburgh City) in the promotion play-offs. We could well be talking about a different story right now.”
