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Even this early in the campaign, the team faces a massive ninety minutes on Saturday afternoon when Kelty Hearts visit Balmoral Stadium.

The Fife side have also had a disappointing start and sit just a point ahead of us in ninth place, so a win for either club could have a huge bearing going forward.

That is a fact not lost on Paul Hartley:

“There’s no getting away from it, it’s a big game, and if we can finally secure our first league win of the season it would be a massive boost for everyone.

“We’re in a position we don’t want to be in, but that’s where we are, and we’re all in it together fighting hard.

“The focus all week has been on resting the players, keeping them nice and fresh, and getting it right against Kelty, and we need to go into the game with the right mentality.”

We approach this one having played some attractive attacking football over the past game and a half, and the manager hopes to see that continue:

“It was pleasing to recover in the way we did down at Alloa last week, when we might easily have snatched a draw from 2-0 down, and despite being under-strength, the team carried that into the midweek cup-tie.”

“There was a lot of good play, and we created so many chances; now it’s about turning that into goals. We need to be a bit more ruthless in the final third, and that would help to breed confidence. It might be a scrappy goal that sets us off, that might be all we need, and then hopefully it will build from there.

“One win can turn your season around, we’ve seen that happen so many times, and our first objective is to catch Kelty. If we get the victory, that puts us ahead of them, and we can start looking to get right back into the pack.

“They will see the match as being just as important for them because they’ve also had their struggles, but we need to make sure we take care of ourselves, use the home advantage, and secure that first win.”

With having a small squad, and given the injury crisis the club has suffered ever since the season kicked-off, Paul has had little room for manoeuvre, and has had to ask a lot of his players. He says they have given their all and has nothing but praise for their efforts:

“The one thing I would say is that I cannot fault the boys. Their attitude has been first-class, they know the position we’re in, and the spirit in the camp remains high. They’re working ever so hard, and I hope they get the reward they deserve.”

The manager will again be without Fraser Fyvie, Declan Glass and Mikey Doyle, but Mitch Megginson will return, and a late decision will be taken on the fitness of Arron Darge who has missed the last seven games.

Given the importance of the match, it would mean so much to the players to have a big home support. Fans can purchase their tickets in advance at THIS LINK

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