Peterhead co-manager Jordon Brown says the Blue Toon are ready to start afresh as they head into the final quarter of the season.
The Balmoor Stadium side host Stranraer on Saturday in their first game of the last quarter of League Two fixtures.
The run-in to the end of the season, Brown says, will see Peterhead aiming to secure second place and a place in the promotion play-offs.
His side currently sit in third with 43 points, one point behind Spartans in second and one ahead of fourth-placed Dumbarton.
Brown said: “The incentive now is it is a fresh start – we’ve got nine games left and all the teams have caught up with their games in hand.
“We can see where we are at.
“We’ll set ourselves a new target and we want to finish as high up in the league as possible – and, at the minute, that looks like it will have to be second.
“We’ll fully look to build on what has been a successful season so far overall, but we know we need to build momentum and secure our place in the play-offs.”
Peterhead expecting every game to be tough in League Two promotion race
Although a place in the play-off spots is the main aim, Brown knows finishing second would bring its advantages in their bid to win promotion back to League One.
He added: “Finishing second can help with momentum and it gives you a home tie for your second leg.
“We’ve had experiences in the play-offs in years gone by and they are never easy games. If you can give yourself any sort of advantage then that can be massive.”
Brown is expecting another tough game against Stranraer – who ran riot against the Blue Toon’s promotion rivals Dumbarton on Tuesday night, beating the Sons 5-0.
He added: “Me and Ryan (Strachan) have spoken about the league and how the season has gone that all the teams have got stronger.
“It has become really competitive and it is only going to get tougher with so many teams having something to play for.
“There are going to be no easy games, especially with Stranraer coming up here off the back of a 5-0 win against Dumbarton, who beat us last weekend.”
Brown reflects on Peterhead’s injury nightmare
Peterhead have suffered with injuries this season, and co-boss Brown says it has been an “unprecedent” situation to deal with.
Peter Pawlett, David Wilson, and Rory McAllister limped off injured in the defeat to Dumbarton, with the latter set to miss out on this weekend’s match at Balmoor.
Meanwhile, Jack Brown and Jason Brown could make their return to the squad against Stranraer, however, defender Scott Ross is expected to remain on the sidelines for the clash.
Brown said: “Every time we feel like we have turned a corner something goes against us again and more boys are out injured.
“We built a squad at the start of the season thinking we had cover there, but you learn all the time about these sort of challenges.
“We lost Conner Duthie in our first league game, so maybe we should have known then how the season was going to go.
“It has been a bit unprecedented, but we don’t want to keep chirping on about it.
“Everyone can see where the injuries have been and how that has sometimes changed the style of play, the shape and how it has affected us being able to get some consistency.
“A lot of these things can be out of your control, but we’re doing whatever we can to help them.
“We have got a great physio and great coaches at the club. The boys are well looked after and, hopefully, we are starting to come out the other end now.”
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