Ross Draper insists Elgin City’s job of securing League Two safety is far from done.
The Black and Whites have boosted their survival prospects by taking four points from their last two matches.
City had been bottom of the table prior to that, which resulted in the sacking of manager Gavin Price.
Former Ross County and Caley Thistle player Draper was installed as part of the interim coaching team, along with Charlie Charlesworth and Stevie Dunn.
Since then, Elgin have drawn 1-1 with Stenhousemuir, before defeating Forfar Athletic 2-0 on Saturday to move four points clear of bottom side Albion Rovers.
Elgin’s next game comes away to a Stranraer side just a point ahead of them in seventh, which was defeated 8-0 by East Fife last weekend.
That resulted in the departure of Jamie Hamill as manager, with Scott Agnew taking charge.
Despite the recent revival, Draper says City still have work on their hands.
Draper said: “We didn’t have time to mess about with results. With five games to go, and sitting bottom of the league, you need results quick.
“The boys have been brilliant in terms of their attitude.
“It was disappointing we possibly didn’t get six points, but we would have snatched your hand off for four points from two games.
“It was against two decent sides as well, both going for the play-offs.
“Just conceding the one goal is also impressive, as we need to shore up defensively as well.
“There have been goals for the strikers too. There have been positives to take, but we know we are a long way from getting it done yet.
“It’s three big games – we can’t come off the gas. We’ve got to go again, and prepare right for Saturday.
“We play two of the bottom four, so it’s in our hands. But it’s also in their hands in terms of picking up results.
“We need to make sure we are at it, and going three games unbeaten would get us there.”
City must take matters into own hands
Elgin are aiming to keep both Bonnyrigg Rose and Albion Rovers beneath them, with the Black and Whites finishing their season with an away trip to Rose on May 6.
City triumphed 3-2 on their last trip to Stair Park, but were defeated 1-0 when the sides last met in February.
Defender Draper insists Elgin cannot afford to count on any favours from elsewhere.
He added: “You always get freak results at the end of the season – you look at fixtures and think that the team at the bottom will get beaten by the team at the top.
“It’s not the case, you always get freak results where teams are scrapping away and they find a way to win games.
“We are expecting all the teams to pick up points from where you wouldn’t think they would.
“It’s down to us to get enough points on the board to stay up.
“We have always known it’s in our hands. It’s just whether we can get enough points to make sure we are all right.”
Draper enjoying coaching focus
The task of overseeing Elgin’s match preparation is a new experience for Draper, who has already started his coaching journey with Ross County’s under-16s side.
Despite the urgency of Elgin’s situation, the 34-year-old insists he is enjoying the change in focus.
Draper added: “I have enjoyed it. It’s an eye-opener in terms of what you need to do off the pitch, with all the stuff that goes behind the scenes.
“It’s stuff that you kind of took for granted. It has been a bit of a learning curve.
“As much as we need results and it’s the business end of the season, I have enjoyed it and it has opened my eyes in terms of what we need to do off the pitch to get ready for a game on Saturday.
“We have just got on with it. Stevie and Charlie have done the dugout side, and I don’t want to take my mind away from playing. I have found a good balance in terms of getting messages out on the pitch and managing games
“The boys have made it an easy job so far with the results, and how they have applied themselves.
“As long as that continues, I’m sure it will be a happy end to the season.”
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