Brechin boss Barry Smith is looking for his players to replicate the performance they produced against champions Arbroath last week when they travel to face Stranraer in a crunch relegation clash today.
City are fighting for their League 1 survival with three matches left in the regular season, sitting second bottom of the table just ahead of Stenhousemuir on goal difference and four points behind this afternoon’s opponents.
Smith’s men will face a Stranraer side who are on a good run of form, having won their last two games against promotion play-off contenders Raith and Forfar.
However, the Glebe gaffer insists his players should travel with confidence after drawing against Dick Campbell’s title-winning Red Lichties and he believes they are capable of producing a similar result to the one they secured the last time they visited Stair Park in March when they won 2-0.
Smith said: “When it comes down to it, playing against the team that’s just won the league, it was a good point last week.
“I think it was a fair result in terms of the game.
“Our boys can take a lot of confidence from the game, especially the first half.
“I thought we played some good football so there were a lot of positives to take.
“There was little between the two teams in the game and fairness to Dick, he thought the same.
“So the lads can hopefully receive a boost after drawing against the team that’s won the league.”
Smith added: “All our focus now turns to Stranraer and another huge match.
“It is obviously a long journey down there but that is just part and parcel of the game.
“We had a great result at Stranraer in midweek not that long ago and we have to take confidence from that as well.
“I always think it is a mentality thing going down to Stranraer.
“If you can overcome that, then you have every chance of getting a good result there.
“We just have to focus on ourselves and if we can give a performance like we did last Saturday against Arbroath – defending very well and being an attacking threat – then we will give ourselves every opportunity of winning the game.
“It is still all to play for but I can see it going right down to the last day of the season.”
Brechin’s Craig Thomson, who had to come off in just the seventh minute against Arbroath, will miss the Stranraer game with a hamstring strain along with Dene Shields and Lewis Toshney.
