Richard Hastings hopes Inverurie Locos can start a strong run of home form with a derby success against local rivals Formartine United.
The Railwaymen have taken only one point from their first two Breedon Highland League outings at Harlaw Park ahead of the visit of the men from Pitmedden.
Hastings is eager to improve that record, and said: “You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it and improve on it.
“We had a good bounce back on Wednesday (penalty shoot-out loss to Fraserburgh in the Evening Express Aberdeenshire Cup following a 1-1 draw) in terms of performance.
“We want our home to be a fortress and we want to start a good run at home.
“You can’t sulk about things that have happened in the past, you have to get on with what’s in front of us.
“It’s a big game and it’s one we relish. We want to try to build a momentum.”
Meanwhile, Formartine’s Tyler Mykyta hopes midfield familiarity can be an asset for them this term.
Former Aberdeen player Mykyta returned to North Lodge Park in the summer after a loan stint last season, and he has been joined there by former Dons team-mates Mark Gallagher and Jack MacIver – who signed earlier this week.
Mykyta added: “I’m loving it. The boys are great, the manager is great. It’s just about playing well and hopefully getting to a higher level.
“You saw Jack come on at half-time on Wednesday (2-1 Aberdeenshire Cup win over Deveronvale) and we were linking up well.
“We know each other – we (Mykyta and MacIver) have been together since we were eight at Aberdeen. It’s good for him to come to Formartine, too, and get game-time with the boys.”
