Gordonians tighthead prop Tom Williams hopes his side can kick-start their season when they host bottom of the league Whitecraigs this weekend.
The Countesswells men sit second bottom of National League 2 with six points from their opening six games.
After one win and five defeats this term, Williams admits Saturday’s encounter is a chance for his side to start moving up the table and away from the danger zone.
The 30-year-old said: “It is a bottom of the table clash and this really is a big game for us.
“It is a big opportunity. We are at home and we will be looking to take five points.
“We know they will be a really difficult team, but it is an opportunity to get a win.
“The league table is pretty packed at the moment and the beauty of National 2 is anyone can beat anyone.
“The top teams are up there, but with the teams in the middle of the pack you know you always have a chance if you perform well.
“We have to be willing to go out there on a Saturday and leave everything on the pitch.
“Even playing at 95 per cent isn’t good enough in this league.
“We have a few tough games coming up, but we don’t look beyond this weekend’s game.”
It has been a period of transition at Countesswells under head coach James Greenwood, but Williams believes his young teammates are showing plenty of promise.
He said: “For a lot of the young players in our team, it is their first full season playing men’s rugby.
“The young guys are in the team because they are good enough.
“They have proved that and they deserve their spots on the team.
“It is about building on that and trying to stick to our process.
“Although it is maybe not showing at the moment, we feel we have a good recipe for success.
“Hopefully come the end of the year we will be in a really good position.”
While Gordonians’ first team have struggled in the opening games of National 2, Williams has also been encouraged by his club’s second team’s impressive start after winning five out of five in the Caley Division 3.
He said: “It has been a tough start for the first team.
“We have quite a young team so it has been a steep learning curve for the guys.
“There are positives.
“There has been a lot of focus on the first team and rightly so, but our second team are having an excellent season and have won every game with a bonus point so far.
“We have 40 guys coming to training and we are able to put out two teams every weekend so we are building more strength in depth.
“We haven’t been in this position before so the bigger picture at the club is looking better.”
