Petrie still looking over his shoulder

Awinat Brechin tonight would pull Montrose level with fourth-placed East Fife, but manager Stewart Petrie insists it is relegation and not promotion that is occupying his mind.

Petrie, who led the Gable Endies to the League 2 title last year, said: “It is still all about safety for us. A couple of results can change things so we will not get ahead of ourselves in terms of looking at promotion.”

Stenhousemuir’s win at Dumbarton at the weekend has created a log-jam at the foot of the table but Brechin boss Barry Smith is not looking over his shoulder. “I am aware of Saturday’s results and know things have tightened up. But we cannot get overly concerned about what other teams do,” he said. “We simply have to go out and win our games.” Dumbarton manager Jim Duffy is looking to solve defensive problems and ensure his side can move further away from relegation issues with a win over Airdrie.

He said: “The lack of a settled defence is hurting us. Andy Dowie left for a job outside of football and Henk van Schaik, Ross Perry, Brian Mclean, and Willie Dyer have all been injured and could all miss this game. We are stretched.”

A third consecutive win would lift Airdrie into the promotion race. Manager Ian Murray said: “The attitude and performance of the players recently has been top class. Hopefully things are turning for us at the right time of the season.

“However if we lose focus or drop our application, we will stop moving forward. The play-offs are an outside bet but if we keep winning then you never know.”