Now that last week’s glamour Scottish Cup tie with Dundee United is out of the way, Montrose boss Stewart Petrie and his players have refocused all their attention on this season’s top priority – cementing their place in League 1.
The Links Park manager admits there was a slight feeling of disappointment that his team failed to land a glove on the Tangerines last Saturday with Robbie Neilson’s men running out comfortable 4-0 winners.
However, everyone is now looking forward to this afternoon’s game at Dumbarton which will be followed by two more against Brechin and Stenhousemuir – teams that are all currently below the Gable Endies in the league table.
Petrie said: “I think we were all a bit disappointed last week.
“We never really had them under threat. The effort from the players was there as it always is but we would have liked to have put them under a wee bit more pressure throughout the game which we didn’t achieve.
“But that’s maybe down to us not being at it as well as we can be and Dundee United being good.
“It is now back to the bread and butter at Dumbarton.
“We were beaten down there earlier in the season so it is a big game for us, there is no question of that.
“All the games are tough and I am sure Jim (Dumbarton boss Duffy) will be working hard to bring bodies in as they have been struggling for numbers.
“But they still have some real quality in their team – you rattle off some of the names and think, ‘Wow!’.
“So we have been focusing on Dumbarton all week and the boys are ready for the game.
“It is a couple of big weeks coming up for us.
“We are still determined to cement our place in League 1. That has been our aim this season and will continue to be.”
Petrie added to his squad this week, bringing back one of his League 2 title-winning heroes midfielder Lewis Milne from Raith Rovers with the manager hoping the player can replicate the success he had previously at Links Park.
Petrie said: “I am absolutely delighted as Lewis brings real quality to the team in that area of the pitch where we have had a bit of a lack of goals from.
“Hopefully he can find the sort of form he had from this time last year – he gave us 11 goals from January onwards and was a pivotal part of the Championship-winning team.
“He was probably a bit unfortunate when he went to Raith as he picked up an injury at the end of last season and that disrupted his pre-season.
“I think we all know if you don’t do a full pre-season then you are behind the eight ball.
“So he will certainly come back determined to show he can play at this level.
“I wouldn’t have brought him back to the club if I didn’t think he could do that and I am looking forward to seeing him in action.”
Long-term injury victims Martyn Fotheringham and Matty Allan will both miss the game.
