Jim McInally reckons the pressure is off his Peterhead squad – after two seasons chasing Championship glory.
McInally has admitted previously how the demands of keeping his side in title contention week after week had taken its toll, which led to him considering his future this summer.
However, with promotion back to League 1 achieved and two positive results in the Betfred Cup already under their belt, he feels they can start to enjoy their football again without such intense demands.
He said: “I said to the players that it’s something we need to make the most of. Looking at the betting odds, we’re 25/1 for the league so there’s no expectation on us. Even Clyde are at 14s.
“But with the position we’ve been in the last couple of seasons, we’ve got to make sure we enjoy it. It’s just less pressure.”
Peterhead beat Cove Rangers 2-1 in their first group game before earning a bonus-point against Championship side Caley Thistle on Tuesday night.
McInally is still trying to balance his squad’s fitness levels. Derek Lyle did not play against Inverness after completing 90 minutes against Cove, while Rory McAllister and Jack Leitch were second-half substitutes in midweek after starting the group opener.
He added: “Willie Gibson played 15 minutes against Cove and then 90 the other night and he’s one we need to watch. We’ll need him for 90 minutes against Raith Rovers on Tuesday as Simon Ferry won’t play (on an artificial pitch).
“I still treat it as pre-season to that extent. I will look to bring Derek and Rory back in but Derek is one I really need to be careful with. Rory is suspended for a couple of games at the start of the season and for the second one, Aidan Smith is at his brother’s wedding, so we’ll need him.”
McInally was at the Balmoral Stadium on Wednesday to watch today’s opponents Dundee draw with Cove Rangers and insists they will not shut up shop against James McPake’s side.
He said: “There’s no point us sitting in and defending en-masse. I know we did it for the first half-hour on Tuesday but that’s because we had played on Saturday.
“We will try to be positive and if we can create a shock, that could give us a chance of going through.”
