Peterhead defender Andy McDonald reckons competition for places has helped them look more solid at the back.
The Blue Toon have kept two clean sheets in their last three games and been able to finally string some results together.
It has coincided with the arrival of David Wilson, who has started the last three games after joining on a two-year deal. The defender had been out of football since leaving Elgin City in the summer.
Peterhead were also able to rely on two teenage full-backs against Falkirk, with loanees Flynn Duffy and Josh Mulligan coming to the fore.
“We’re looking a bit more solid at the moment and that’s down to the whole team,” said McDonald. “It’s what we need to be doing – if we get that right we can take it from there.
“I think the back three suits us at times and in certain games it works for us. It allows us to get on the ball a bit more and take control of the games.
“Defensively it can be more solid as well as it can go from a three to a five. There’s good competition there as well and it keeps everybody on their toes.
“We now know that there’s enough of us and if somebody isn’t playing well, they’ll be out of the team. Every team needs that healthy competition.”
Jim McInally’s side take on Montrose today, with Niah Payne (ankle) definitely out but Simon Ferry and Ryan Conroy potentially fit.
The Peterhead boss rates Montrose as the best part-time team outwith Arbroath and is baffled how manager Stewart Petrie has not been offered the chance to manage at a full-time club.
He said: “They’ve been brilliant. They’re easily the best part-time team outwith Arbroath over the last few years. You can nearly pick their team every week, bar two or three.
“One of the things I regretted was not getting Sean Dillon. No matter what age he is, he’s a great reader of the game, a great organiser.
“He’s been fantastic for them and we did our best to get him. But he went to Montrose and hasn’t looked back since.
“They’ve got a brilliant manager and how he’s still there is beyond belief for me. It sums up Scottish football really, the snobbery that goes about, that nobody has taken a punt on Stewart.
“He’s been top of the pile for years now and deserves an opportunity. He should still get it but for me, he should have had it before now.”
As much as the Peterhead boss respects his opposite number, the Balmoor outfit are starting to build momentum themselves.
McInally added: “We can’t go into it thinking we’re going to get overran as we’re in decent form ourselves.
“We’re going to be a young team again but it’s something I’m quite enjoying; you can see them progressing, whereas if you’ve got a team of pros who’ve been there and done it, they’re not really going to develop.
“It gives you different options having fresh legs in your team, it makes a big difference.”
