A first v second clash getting towards the business end of the season would have been the stuff of dreams for Montrose after years of toiling at the wrong end of League Two.
And Stewart Petrie will take his team to Peterhead this afternoon determined to put down a significant marker for the title run-in.
“I’m not sure you can say this game will be pivotal because there are plenty of matches after it,” he said.
“But clearly there is a lot to play for and it would certainly be a big result if one team can win it.
“We’re going into the game on the back of a strong second half performance against Stirling Albion.
“To come from behind at half-time, after losing the week before, said a lot about the character in the team. They showed real bravery and desire and deserved to win it.
“We’ll go to Peterhead full of confidence. Jim (McInally) will have the same mindset and they’ve got some of the best individual players in the league”
Petrie added: “Twelve or 13 months ago this didn’t seem likely.
“Playing in a first v second game is a lot better than playing in a ninth v 10th one. There is pressure on this one, of course, but it’s not the same type of pressure.”
Iain Campbell will get a late fitness test but Jamie Redman and Lewis Milne are available after recovering from the flu.
Petrie has told Montrose fans that they can play their part in keeping their team top of the table.
He said: “We’ve taken two buses to some games and the fans have been brilliant.
“However many we bring to Peterhead they will be heard and it definitely makes a difference in a game like this.”
Peterhead manager Jim McInally’s search for a replacement for Nicky Riley continues after Tony Dingwall turned down the chance to join the Blue Toon on an emergency loan from Ross County.
Riley will not play again in this campaign after suffering a fractured knee and suspected cruciate ligament damage in the Blue Toon’s 3-2 win at Berwick Rangers on Tuesday and McInally had hoped to bring in Dingwall in Riley’s absence, but the County winger has opted to stay at Victoria Park.
