The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Holstered Gunn always prepared to find target
Elgin: Attacker confident he’ll graduate from role as super sub
World champion Lewis Hamilton believes he has less to lose than his sole title rival Nico Rosberg as he tries to get his stuttering championship campaign back on track.
Hamilton has been cast eight points adrift of Rosberg after hisMercedes team-mate won a hat-trick of consecutive races.
While the Briton showed signs of a resurgence in the sweltering Malaysian heat yesterday after he clocked the fastest time in practice for tomorrow’s grand prix, it appears imperative for him to return to winning ways with only six rounds left.
The odds, however, are stacked against Hamilton. Rosberg won the opening four rounds of the season, while his latest run of victories has taken him to eight for the year.
No driver has achieved such a record without going on to win the title.
“Perhaps when someone is in the lead it can be more positive, but the downfall can be bigger,” said Hamilton, who was one quarter of a second faster than Rosberg yesterday.
“When they are behind they have less to lose, so the hunt is potentially more exciting, but I personally don’t find itharderin either scenario.”
Hamilton’s Mercedes team has triumphed at all butoneof the 15 races so far this season and are poised to win a third consecutive constructors’ championship tomorrow. Elgin City forward Craig Gunn has no qualms about playing a substitute’s role as long as the Black and Whites keep winning.
Gunn has helped City to victory from the bench in the Black and Whites’ last two away fixtures, with his double in the 4-2 win at Berwick Rangers followed by a goal in last week’s 4-0 success at Stirling Albion.
The 29- year- old, who was City’s leading scorer with 23 goals last season, understands manager Jim Weir’s explanation for leaving him out, but hopes to givehima dilemma by continuing to find the net.
Gunn said: “All I can do is come on and make an impact. Thankfully when I’ve been coming off the bench I’ve managed to score so hopefully I’ve given the manager a decision to make.
“Scoring goals will always give him that option. However, if the team is playing well, it does not matter who is playing.
“With the system the manager plays away from home, it suits us better to have Shane Sutherland up front as a target man with Chris McLeish in behind him.
“It seems to work well so I just have to bidemy time, and try to keep making an impact when I come off the bench.”
Despite winning their last two away fixtures, City must revive home form against Annan Athletic today, having lost their last two Borough Briggs games, against Arbroath and Clyde.
Following last weekend’s convincing win against the Binos, Gunn is demanding consistency and the former Ross County attacker added: “Annan are a big, physical team who will make it difficult for us, but we need to sort out our home form.
“We’ve been unlucky in the last two home games, I didn’t think we deserved to lose them.
“We need to go into the game confident from last week and try to kick on from the result.
“If we put a run together we can move up a couple of places in the table, as every team has been inconsistent so far. We need to put results together, we cannot just win one then lose the next two.”
“Perhaps the lead can be more positive, but the downfall can be bigger” “It seems to work well so I just have to bide my time”