Elgin City manager Gavin Price hopes his side can show their intentions for the second half of the League 2 campaign when they host Edinburgh City today.
City sit fifth in the table at the halfway stage of the season, with five points separating them from Annan Athletic who occupy the final play-off place at present.
Price insists the Black and Whites’ form in the coming weeks will be key to their hopes of breaking into the top four.
He said: “Our performances have been pretty consistent. We are playing well without really getting enough points on the board.
“We’ve got to put a run together if we can, and start getting the points we need to get into the play-offs.
“We need to be winning games just now. This is the third quarter starting, so we need to get a good points tally from the next nine games.
“Hopefully that leaves us in a good position to get that top-four spot. I believe we are good enough to get there, we just need to make sure we do that.”
Elgin host an in-form Citizens side who have won five of their last six league matches to move within two points of leaders Cove Rangers.
The two sides shared a 3-3 draw at Borough Briggs in August, before once again cancelling each other in a 1-1 November stalemate in Edinburgh.
Price feels his side must produce a similar level of display against James McDonaugh’s men, adding: “We started poorly in the last home game and went 2-0 down, but in the second half we got ourselves into a winning position before losing a disputed penalty kick at the end. It was certainly two points dropped.
“The away game was probably one of our better games of the season, and again lost a late goal to draw.
“It’s two games we have played well in against a good team, and we will have to do that again to get something from the game.
“Edinburgh are on a great run just now, but we’ve got to be confident.”
Price is hopeful Brian Cameron and Stephen Bronsky will return from injury but defenders Andy McDonald and Euan Spark are both sidelined.
Price could hand a debut to left-back Cameron Harper following his loan switch from Caley Thistle, and the Elgin boss insists the 18-year-old’s arrival is timely following Spark’s injury setback.
Price added: “Euan is going to be out for at least four weeks. It’s a knee problem, a recurrence of an old injury.
“We are going to have to be very careful we treat him the right way to get him back to full fitness.
“Cameron coming in will hopefully cover that position. I’ve spoken to him and he seems a really grounded lad, who is desperate to get in and play first-team football.
“He has played a few games for Inverness but the attraction of first-team football has appealed to him.
“Hopefully he can come in and enjoy his time at Borough Briggs like Daniel MacKay has.”
