GREENOCK Juniors boss Gary Fleming says he's not pressing any panic buttons despite seeing his side pick up only two points from their first three games.
The Nock head to North Lanarkshire on Saturday intent on picking up their first three points of the season against Wishaw.
But despite seeing his team lose 2-1 at home to Thorn Athletic last Saturday, Fleming insists there are plenty of positives about how his players have gone about their business in their three games so far.
The team have generally played well in their opening three matches, however there are slightly worrying echoes of last season when good performances, particularly in the first quarter did not translate into points.
That rather came home to bite in the race for promotion towards the end of the season.
The loss to Thorn last Saturday was a classic case in point: having rattled the woodwork on four occasions, and created enough chances to win several games, they ended up empty handed after a 2-1 defeat.
But tomorrow is another day and if they maintain the standard of play of the opening few games and add that clinical touch in and around the penalty box, they are well capable of securing that first win.
Wishaw to date have played two games, losing 1-0 to Glenvale and drawing 3-3 with Girvan. Consequently they, themselves, will be looking for their first win, and while the Beltane is never an easy place to go, it is a good surface and should suit the Nock’s pass and move style.
One of the key aspects for the Juniors will be to remain calm and confident in their approach and not allow the results to date to results to date to translate into “trying too hard”.
Tempting though it may be to roll up the sleeves and get stuck in, that is not really the answer for this squad. Playing smart, not hard, will be the objective.
Pleasing news for the Nock is that vice-captain Ryan Corer is back in training and featured in Tuesday’s training game.
He will be a welcome addition to a largely full complement of players available for the trip, though striker Darren Patton is still recovering from a knee operation and is a few weeks from re-joining the group.
Manager Gary Fleming, rightly, remains very upbeat about the squad’s capabilities
“We are sitting on two points," he said, "however we could easily be sitting with nine from nine.
"We are not pressing any panic button, as the season is only two weeks old. We are creating chances and the performances have been very good.
"We’ve worked hard in our Tuesday bounce match and replicated final third football in training on Thursday.
"The boys showed up well on both nights and the management team will be looking to see this implemented in our game on Saturday.
"Wishaw have a couple of players I expressed an interest in signing last year before they opted for Wishaw, so I know they have quality in their team and like us they will be desperate for their first win of the season.
"We will therefore need to be focused and ready to go."
Greenock are sponsored by Saveheat, Keystore Cowal View, Safer Group, The Lighthouse Bar, McGills, ARC and Blairs.
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