Striker Tommy Muir has called on Stranraer to turn things round quickly if they are to have any ambitions of battling it out at the top of League Two.
The Blues lost out to Edinburgh City last Friday night to extend their unwanted winless run to five games.
The Stranraer team had a lengthy chat in the away dressing room at Ainslie Park and now return home looking for a first win since a 1-0 triumph over Albion Rovers at the beginning of October.
Muir said: “I am quite a positive guy anyway.
“The gaffer is like that as well and we deal with what has happened on a Friday or Saturday after the game.
“On a Tuesday night at training, it is a fresh slate for everybody.
“I am upbeat and I am confident in the group of players.
“We are young as well but at the same time we have got to learn from mistakes.
“Really, we have got to turn things round quickly.
“You are three or four good results from the play-offs.
“If we had held on to win against Annan and maybe a draw against Edinburgh then you are right in with a shout.
“Suddenly, we find ourselves eighth in the league and a point away from ninth and it looks so negative.
“A couple of wins and we will start climbing the table again.”
The frontman was signed by Stevie Farrell ahead of a second season in League Two.
However, the manager had departed for Dumbarton before Muir got a chance to show what he could do.
A broken foot in pre-season hampered the former Annan man and when he was on the road to recovery the injury jinx struck again when he broke the other foot.
Muir described it as “really tough mentally” but felt he was well on track now having started the last three games.
He said: “For me, I came in and scored against Forfar and you feel that is you there but I still don’t think I am 100 per cent there yet.
“Match fitness is getting there and a bit of sharpness as well for me in front of goal and decision making.
“The last time I had started a league game prior to the Forfar game was in April.
“That is a good six months ago and you are just trying to get up to speed.”
Last meeting
Elgin City 1-1 Stranraer
Jamie Hamill’s first league game as Stranraer manager ended in a promising 1-1 draw away to Elgin City.
Both sides finished in the play-offs last term and were expected to be up there challenging again this season.
Stranraer had not won at Borough Briggs since 2012 and fell behind in the first half to Darryl McHardy’s header. However, the Blues would find a leveller 10 minutes after the restart when Grant Gallagher found the net with a well-placed headed effort of his own.
Elgin City: Hoban, Cooper (MacEwan 41), Spark, McHardie, Little, Mailer, R Dingwall, Macphee, T Dingwall (O’Keefe 60), Sopel (Peters 60), Hester.
Not used: Nicolson, Allan, Lawrence, MacBeath and McHale.
Stranraer: Lyle, Robertson, Burns, Ross, McIntosh, Millar, Gallagher, Woods (Rennie 74), Hawkshaw, Walker (Langan 85), Yates (Moore 81).
Not used: Sonkur, Irving and Scullion.
Last five meetings
- Elgin City 1 Stranraer 1 (McHardie; Gallagher) at Borough Briggs on July 31, 2021
- Stranraer 1 Elgin City 4 (Elliott; Sopel, Hester x2 and Cameron) at Stair Park on April 27, 2021
- Elgin City 2 Stranraer 1 (R Dingwall and Hester; Yates (Pen)) at Borough Briggs on April 6, 2021
- Stranraer 1 Elgin City 4 (Devitt; R Dingwall x2 (Pen x1), Hester and O’Keefe) at Stair Park on October 17, 2020
- Elgin City 1 Stranraer 2 (Macphee; Moore and S Stirling) at Borough Briggs on March 31, 2012
Last five games
Stranraer
- LOSS v Edinburgh City (A): 3-1 (Yates)
- DRAW v Annan Athletic (A): 2-2 (Smith and Woods)
- LOSS v Forfar Athletic (H): 2-3 (Muir and Walker)
- LOSS v Darvel (H): 0-1
- DRAW v Stirling Albion (A): 1-1 (Yates)
Elgin City
- WIN v Cowdenbeath (H): 1-0 (Macphee)
- LOSS v Forfar Athletic (A): 2-1 (MacEwan)
- LOSS v Clydebank (H): 1-2 (Cameron)
- DRAW v Clydebank (A): 1-1 (MacEwan)
- LOSS v Albion Rovers (A): 2-0
Last time out
Stranraer v Edinburgh City: Scullion, Robertson, Sonkur (McIntosh 56), Ellis, Ross, Langan (Woods 46), Brady, Smith (Hawkshaw 66), Muir, Walker (Watson 46), Yates.
Not used: Moore, Irving, Ngoy, Rennie and Baker.
Elgin City v Cowdenbeath: McHale, Grivosti, Spark, McHardie, Cooper, MacEwan, R Dingwall (T Dingwall 75), Cameron, Sopel (Mailer 75), Macphee (O’Keefe 83), Wilson (Hester 58).
Not used: Cooney, Allan, Machado, Peters and Hoban.
