Elgin City manager Jim Weir wants a response from his players when the Black and Whites travel to face Montrose in League 2 this afternoon.
To Weir’s frustration, City have not played since they were defeated 3-0 by Albion Rovers on December 6, with successive home fixtures against Berwick Rangers and East Stirling postponed.
That defeat followed a promising 1-1 draw against leaders Arbroath in Weir’s first match since replacing Barry Wilson at Borough Briggs.
City are bottom of the table, and Weir said his side must make up for lost time having gone 10 games without a win prior to the two postponed fixtures.
Weir said: “The preparations have been all right, we managed get a bounce game last Saturday, and a friendly against Lossiemouth in midweek.
“I expect a better performance than we had in the 3-0 defeat against Albion Rovers. We need a reaction, the cancelled games allowed our opponents to stretch even further ahead, and games in hand are very difficult to make up, especially midweek matches.
“It’s important to have a positive frame of mind, and believe we can take something from the game. Montrose beat us earlier in the season at Elgin, so we know it’s going to be a tough one.”
Weir brought in St Johnstone duo Craig Thomson and Ally Gilchrist on one-month loan deals prior to the postponement of the last two games, and the pair could make their debuts this afternoon.
Weir is still getting to know his squad after taking charge of the Moray outfit last month.
He added: “I am trying to make sure the players are aware of the way I work.
“Sometimes when a new manager comes in it’s a smooth transition. At this moment, it hasn’t been as smooth as we had anticipated, and that’s partly due to the weather and cancelled games.
“At this time of year we’re struggling for training facilities. We’ve tried to adapt and arrange bounce games.
“Hopefully the players will learn and respect what we’re trying to do here.”