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After the disappointment of seeing our Scottish Cup run end at Livingston on Saturday, it is back to League One business on Tuesday night with the visit of near neighbours Montrose.

Despite the 3-0 defeat, the team put on an impressive display and created numerous opportunities against the Championship promotion hopefuls. Paul Hartley is looking for his players to repeat that showing, but to be more ruthless in the penalty area, as they have been for much of the season:

“I thought it was a good team performance, we handled the occasion really well, just disappointing not to get the result we were looking for. We needed to be more clinical at the top end of the pitch.

“Overall, we came out of it with a lot of people talking about us in terms of how we played, we certainly didn’t disgrace ourselves, and we were always in the game until the last ten minutes when we opened up and had a real go.

“Now, we have to focus on Montrose, create the opportunities again, and take them.”

Stewart Petrie had a busy January, giving his squad a shake-up, but they have had a tough time of late, no wins in seven since the middle of December, and are in danger of slipping out of the race for the playoffs:

“That’s very surprising, because they’re always round about the top four, but Stewart’s a clever manager and I’m sure they’ll still be up there come the end of the season.

“They’ve brought in a few players, young Owen Stirton from Dundee United, who’s got a few goals, and Craig Wighton, a player I know really well, so they can hurt you, and we have to guard against that.”

This is the first of three more home matches during February, and Paul is well aware just how important that run could be:

“I always thought this was going to be a vital month. It’s a bit frightening to see how far we are into the season, once we get through this period, you’re just about at the run-in, and the division remains as tight as ever. Look at Annan, they’re now just five points off the playoffs, so anything can happen!”

“If we can get maximum points, we will be in with a great chance of being at the top end, and it’s certainly going to be exciting. You have to be on your mettle and find the consistency that will be so important.”

There are no fresh injuries to report from the weekend, and with Quinn Coulson now eligible to return, the manager should have a full squad to choose from for the first time since the early part of the campaign.

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