Buckie Thistle boss Graeme Stewart feels they need to win all of their remaining games to be in with a chance of winning the Highland League title, ahead of facing contenders Brora Rangers.
The Jags have been on a remarkable 17-game winning streak, which has seen them keep pace with leaders Fraserburgh.
They are also in the final of the GPH Builders Merchants Highland League Cup, where they will meet tonight’s opponents Brora Rangers at Station Park.
Stewart, who guided Buckie to the title in 2017, is acutely aware of how tight the top of the league is and that even winning all of their fixtures may not be enough.
He said: “The bottom line is we can win all our games and still not win the league. Fraserburgh are very capable of winning all their games.
“We’ve got to try win every game. I don’t think we can win the league without it. That old cliché of one game at a time works for us.
“I would rather it was really boring and we were ahead by 10 points – it does look exciting and I think everyone is going to drop points. Playing three games in a week is tough, with injuries and how difficult some of the games are.
“With two games to go, if we’re still in the mix then I would be over the moon as what a season that is. We were 16-17 points behind at one stage and, if we’re still in with a chance of winning it with a couple of games to go, the team will have done unbelievably well.”
Stewart attributed the club’s recent run to the professionalism of his players, with Buckie and Brechin just a point behind the Broch.
He added: “The players are all professional. When I played in the Highland League up until I retired, you’d get away with going out on the weekend and eating what you wanted, because it was semi-professional football.
“They’ll go to the gym three times a week and it’s crazy how they look after themselves. But that’s not just Buckie, that’s a lot of teams.
“But the professionalism of my guys, I’m really impressed with. They’re really fit and that’s why they can keep going.”
Brora to take confidence boost from final berth
Brora secured their place in the Highland League Cup final by beating Fraserburgh on penalties, with forward Jordan MacRae feeling they take a huge lift from it.
Like Buckie, the Cattachs have been on an impressive run of form, losing just once in the league since September. They are three points behind Fraserburgh, having played a game more.
MacRae said: “It’s definitely (a confidence boost reaching the final). We’d rather be in the final than not, obviously.
“A team like us, we want to win every game and try to win every trophy we’re involved in.
“Wednesday’s a big game. We’re looking forward to it and we’re confident. We beat them last time, so hopefully we can beat them again.
“There’s a very, very different feeling about the squad now. Everybody feels more settled. We were maybe unsettled and pretty disjointed before.
“Even then, we went 2-0 up last time and it all went wrong. Things then changed with the management.
“But we’re together, everyone fights for each other and it’s a pretty happy place at Brora right now.”