Cowdenbeath manager Colin Nish feels his side have slipped back six months but having managed to get themselves out of trouble once, they can do it again, starting with Stenhousemuir today.
A run of six defeats in seven games has made the joy at finishing last year in sixth place after a 4-2 win over Ayr seem a very distant memory.
Nish said: “We sorted things out in the first half of the season and we can sort things out in the second half.”
He added: “We were doing really well, and our win over Ayr between Christmas and New Year showed how far we had come.
“I have talked before about the impact of losing Andy Murdoch and Gordon Smith from that team, but on Tuesday we were without six of that side.
“It certainly had an effect.”
The latest defeat came on Tuesday when a one-goal lead was turned into a 4-1 defeat from Forfar, with the game changing just before half-time when Kieran Gibbons was dismissed for conceding a penalty.
Nish said: “Kieran’s sending off was disappointing on a number of fronts.
“Firstly, because it was incredibly soft, and secondly, because it changed the course of the game. We were one up and then all of a sudden it was 1-1 and we were down to 10 men.
“In saying that, we have to play better with the 10 than we did.”
Games against the visitors Stenhousemuir have shown the different nature of Cowdenbeath’s season, with Nish saying: “The first time we played them was when we were gelling at the start of the season and we gave away two early goals and lost 4-2 as a result.
“The next time we played them we had improved and should have beaten them. We were two goals up and lost two late goals and they sneaked away with a draw.”
Grant Adam could return to goalkeeping duties after illness, and Liam Callaghan could be fit enough for a place on the bench.
Kenny Adamson and Kyle Miller remain out injured, and Gibbons is suspended.