Smith’s danger signs

League 1: Goalkeeper puts focus on avoiding relegation threat

Peterhead goalkeeper Graeme Smith has told his team-mates to forget about the play-offs and focus on hauling themselves away from the relegation zone.

The Blue Toon remain third bottom of League 1, just four points above bottom clubs Stenhousemuir and Stranraer, but are also just four points behind fourth-placed East Fife, whomake the trip to Balmoor today.

Smith, pictured, believes the Blue Toon are good enough to finish in the top four come the end of the campaign, but believes ensuring his club is not hauled into a relegation struggle is the more pressing concern. He said: “A lack of consistency has been our biggest problem, but it’s still downto ourselvesandit’s not as if there are two or three games to go and we’re relying on favours. It’s still in our hands.

“This league is so tight that any run of wins will shoot a team up the league and we have to make sure we’re the team that does it.

“We’ve got players who are more than capable of competing in this league, but we’ve never really been near the bottom.

“It’s a test for the players and the management. We’re in a difficult position at themoment but our aim remains to be in the play-offs.

“I look at the league t able after e ver y weekend and it’s the same story with clubs cutting each other up.

“Three wins in a row could take one team to second place while three defeats could have them struggling to avoid a play-off with the League 2 clubs.

“We’re in that gap between where it could go either way.”

Peterhead secured their play-off place with more than a month to spare last season and paid the price in the play-offs when they were beaten 6-2 on aggregate by Ayr United.

Smith believes the experience and the fact his club will have to compete until the final gameof the season if they are to secure a play-off berth will give his side a better chance of going up.

He said: “We knew we were there for weeks before the season ended last year and it was as if we were playing out the league games and waiting for the play-offs to come around.

“We expected we would turn it on again and click back into form but it didn’t happen. Ayr had the momentum and the confidence and it showed in the two legs against them.

“I’m hoping this year will be theonewherewemake the late run and go into the play-offs in form but that’s a long way away. Right now the focus has to be on movingawayfromthe bottomandgetting into the top four.”