Steven Mackay says Elgin City know the blueprint for another successful result against League Two pacesetters Kelty Hearts.
Elgin have taken four points from a possible six in their two meetings with Kelty, who are 10 points clear at the summit.
Kelty struck late to secure a 1-1 draw at New Central Park in September, while Elgin claimed an impressive 2-0 victory at Borough Briggs last Tuesday.
Assistant manager Mackay says his side have set the benchmark for what will be required when they return to Fife on Saturday.
He said: “We had a fantastic result against them last Tuesday. We played exceptionally well, but we are under no illusions about the challenge of going to Kelty Hearts and trying to take anything out of the game.
“There are not many teams that have gone there and taken points, and no team has won there in the league.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game. We know the threats they pose, but equally we know we have gone down there and drawn and got the victory last week.
“When we got the draw we were quite defensive in our approach, the plan to frustrate them and reduce the space worked and we got a point.
“They scored late on so you could argue we could have won the game, but being honest they put us under a lot of pressure towards the end of that game.
“Hopefully we can replicate those performances, because we will need to if we want to take something from the game.”
Elgin aim to return to form
City are looking to get back on track, with a six-match unbeaten run ended by last weekend’s 2-1 loss to Stenhousemuir.
Mackay hopes his side can quickly regain form, with back-to-back home games against Stranraer and Annan Athletic to follow.
He added: “We were six games undefeated with three victories and three draws. The team was playing well, the manager has set us up in a shape everyone is comfortable in.
“We felt like we were getting a bit of momentum and confidence we could win games. It was disappointing to lose last week. We didn’t start well at all and just didn’t really recover from it.
“We will dust ourselves down and look to try and go on another run.”
Teenager Towler a standout performer
Elgin added four players during the January transfer window, with youngsters Evan Towler and Kevin Hanratty joining on loan from Aberdeen.
Rabin Omar returned to the club from Stirling Albion, while Aldin El-Zubaidi arrived from Albion Rovers.
The performances of 17-year-old Towler have caught the eye at left back, with Mackay impressed by his impact.
Mackay added: “Evan has been exceptional in his displays. He came on against Forfar but he has been in the team ever since and rightly so.
“He plays with a maturity beyond his years, having just turned 17 in December. Physically he’s ready to play at a higher level and technically he’s more than ready.
“He’s got a phenomenal attitude as well, so hopefully he can maintain that throughout his career.
“I’ve no doubt he can kick on and play at a higher level. It’s good for him to be exposed to senior football with ourselves, but also good for us to get a player of his capabilities in our side.
“The other guys have come into the squad recently and we haven’t seen an awful lot of them. They will have the opportunity to replicate what Evan has done by getting a regular starting position.”
