Peterhead manager Jim McInally has told his players to ensure they stay in the tie when they meet Ayr United in the Championship play-off semi-final first leg at Balmoor tonight (8pm).
The Honest Men beat the Blue Toon 4-0 at Balmoor on April 23 and have home advantage for the crucial second leg which will be played on Saturday.
Peterhead go into the game on a wretched run, having lost their last six matches, but McInally has backed his players to produce when it matters most.
He said: “I’ve told them nothing will be decided in 90 minutes and it is important we make sure we stay in the tie against a very good Ayr side.
“The bigger the game the better we seem to play and I’m hoping that will be the case against Ayr. We seem to rise to the big occasion and it doesn’t come much bigger for us than the play-offs. These games will be massive.
“We played well at Dunfermline on Saturday and I took a lot of positives from the game. I told the players they had enjoyed the lion’s share of possession against the champions and should be proud of how they played.”
Peterhead’s defensive woes continued at East End Park when midfielder Jamie Stevenson, who has been filling in at full back, tore his hamstring, but the Peterhead manager is hoping for some good news on the injury front before tonight’s first leg.
“Jamie’s injury was yet another blow for us and the bad luck we’ve had in terms of defensive injuries is unbelievable,” he said.
“We’ve been so unlucky in that all our injury problems have come in the one department at the worst possible time for us, but we hope Scott Ross may be fit enough to make the bench tomorrow which would at least give us one other option at the back.
“We’ve been unfortunate but we can’t feel sorry for ourselves and the team which goes out against Ayr will be good enough to win the game. That’s what I’m focusing on, not who’s not available.”
Defender Ally Gilchrist misses out due to injury while attacker Rory McAllister will serve the final game of his two-match suspension.
