Elgin City manager Gavin Price feels forward Shane Sutherland is well on his way towards his best campaign yet for the Black and Whites.
Sutherland has enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign, netting 16 goals in 18 games, and only failing to find the net in five of those matches.
The 29-year-old returned for a fourth spell at Borough Briggs outfit in the summer, only six months after leaving to join Peterhead, with a current total goals tally of 88 for the Moray outfit.
Price feels Sutherland’s recent burst of form is reminiscent of the 2016-17 campaign, in which the former Caley Thistle striker netted 24 goals before suffering a cruciate ligament injury which kept him sidelined for 12 months.
Price said: “It goes without saying, his goal record this season has been fantastic. His contribution to the team and work with other players has also been good.
“He is playing with a smile on his face. It goes back to that form Shane had before he got the injury.
“We always say it, but when a player gets a long-term injury like that it sometimes takes the length of time he has been out injured to find that form again.
“Shane has been back playing for a year, the same length as the injury was, and I was quite confident this year that all going well he could get back to that form again.
“So it’s transpiring, so hopefully we can keep him fit, and I’m confident he will have probably his best season in an Elgin shirt in terms of goals and what he brings to the team.
“In every game he’s getting chances and looking a threat. We’ve just got to keep him going. He’s enjoying his football so as long as that is the case it gives us a focal point in the team.”
City return to League 2 action this weekend when they host Queen’s Park, following last weekend’s Scottish Cup victory over Lowland League side Berwick Rangers.
Elgin’s reward is a third round draw at home to Championship side Alloa Athletic, who they already defeated on penalties in the Betfred Cup group stage earlier this season.
Price has mixed feelings about the draw, adding: “We wanted to avoid a Championship side at this stage, but it’s at home.
“We have shown we can compete against teams from the higher leagues this season already.
“We will give ourselves a chance, but we will go into this tie as underdogs which has maybe not hampered us so far this season.
“It’s a difficult tie, but it’s at home.”
City’s League 2 match away to Stenhousemuir has been moved to Tuesday, December 3 with a 7.45pm kick-off, due to it clashing with Elgin’s Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup quarter final against Raith Rovers next month.
