Rothes manager Ross Jack says the coming weeks will give his side the chance to build pressure on the teams above them.
The Speysiders host Brechin City tonight, having defeated Deveronvale 3-0 in their first league game in nearly a month on Saturday.
It kickstarts a busy run of games, with the visit of City the first of four games in the next 10 days.
Rothes sit seventh in the table, 15 points adrift of leaders Fraserburgh, albeit they have played fewer games than any other side in the league.
Jack hopes the Speysiders can build strong end of season momentum in their efforts to play catch up.
He said: “It’s good to be back.
“We unfortunately went out of the League Cup against Fraserburgh last Wednesday.
“The boys have trained hard, but it’s not the same as getting games.
“That made it tough against the Broch. It’s not an excuse, but the boys were a bit ring-rusty.
“We got back to some sort of normality against Deveronvale on Saturday, so we need to keep this run going now.
“We would just like to get on a nice run of consistently playing well. If we can strike up a good run of games that will put pressure on the teams above us, and we just have to cling on to the shirt and tails of the top four or five to make sure we are there at the death.
“If we win our games in hand, we can definitely do that.”
Options returning to Rothes fold
Rothes have Ben Johnstone back in the frame, along with attacker Greg Morrison who netted twice against the Vale on his return to the side on Saturday.
Although Gary Kerr and Wayne MacKintosh will miss out with knee injuries, Jack is pleased with the depth he has available for the coming weeks.
Jack says every player will need to play his part in the coming weeks.
He added: “We have a small squad at the moment but we have a few guys who have come back after missing out in the last couple of weeks.
“We should have a decent squad to choose from.
“We need everybody who is fit and available ready to go because it’s going to be a tough run until the end of the season. The weather has affected the pitches, but the boys are up for it.”
Brechin netted a last-gasp equaliser to secure a 2-2 draw when the sides last met in August.
Jack is expecting another difficult challenge at Mackessack Park, adding: “It’s going to be tough against Brechin.
“They have scored a lot of goals in the last few games. They have a potent strikeforce, but they have experienced bodies throughout the team as well.
“We are at home and hopefully we can build on Saturday’s second half performance and kick on.”
Andy Kirk’s men are fourth in the table, four points adrift of the summit having played a game more than the Broch.
The Angus outfit go into the game on the back of three straight wins, netting 14 goals in the process.
Marc Scott, who netted a hat-trick in Saturday’s 5-1 win over Wick Academy, hopes to keep up the momentum.
Scott said: “It was another great win for us and to get the hat-trick was a real bonus.
“We’re playing really well now and all we can do, as we tackle the final run of matches, is focus on ourselves and keep trying to rack up the three points every week.
“It is going to be very difficult to catch the teams above, but I’m sure there are one or two twists left to come.”
