East Fife may have had the measure of Montrose so far this term, but boss Gary Naysmith expects a much different proposition at Links Park this afternoon.
The Fifers have scored seven goals without reply in their two encounters with the Gable Endies this season, and head into this weekend’s clash on the back of an impressive 3-2 win over title-chasing Albion Rovers on Tuesday night.
That propelled the Methil club into sixth spot and Naysmith has designs on catching Annan in fourth, although he reckons Montrose will provide a stiff test of their credentials.
“We’ve played really well against the top teams but not done so well against the so-called bottom teams, or the teams around us, and it’s something that we’ve been looking to rectify,” he explained.
“As a manager, it’s one of the most frustrating things.
“We can do it against the top teams, but when it comes to the teams around us and no disrespect meant to them we’ve slipped up.
“People maybe expect us to go and pick up points against teams in the bottom half but we’ve had one out of six against Elgin and none from our games against Clyde.
“I wanted the players to enjoy the win in midweek but the fact we beat Montrose 3-0 and 4-0 in the past means nothing because they are a completely different team now.
“They’ve got Marvin Andrews in, big Ewan Moyes, Ross Campbell, they’ve got a really good height in the team and they’ve got a good work ethic.
“I can’t affect the fans because they’ll expect us to beat Montrose, because we’ve beaten them convincingly twice so far.
“But for me, I can’t have complacency in the team.”
While today’s visitors had a morale-boosting win in midweek, Montrose boss George Shields will be well aware of what three points today could do for his side’s chances of getting back into the promotion mix.
Indeed, League Two is so tight that victory today would see Shields’ men, who currently sit in ninth spot, jump above the Fifers in the table.
They showed a lot of character to fight back against Queen’s Park last week, although two late goals from on loan Dundee United striker Jordan Moore put extra sheen on the eventual 4-1 scoreline.
“We’re looking to bounce back after last week’s disappointment,” Shields stressed.
East Fife will be without the suspended Allan Walker this afternoon, while the hosts will welcome Paul Watson back after breaking his wrist.
New signing Craig Johnston will also be at Shields’ disposal after serving a two-match ban.
However, Greg Cameron, Ross Campbell, Stephen Day, Terry Masson and Leighton McIntosh are all still unavailable.