GREENOCK boss Gary Fleming will be looking to build momentum and put some daylight between his side and Ardeer Thistle when he takes his team to Stevenston on Saturday.
Both sides sit on 17 points in the Third Division standings, with Nock one place above their North Ayrshire rivals through a superior goal difference.
The management team have made it clear to the squad that the well-earned plaudits they enjoyed by beating Threave Rovers 6-0 last week must be quickly parked, and only the same again will be satisfactory this time around.
Greenock will take some confidence from their last encounter against the North Ayrshire side; towards the end of last season they narrowly won 2-1 in a very similar game to what is anticipated this weekend.
The home team were, and will be again, very physical in their approach, though they were quite capable of playing some good football as well. Nock, to their credit, stood up well to the physical challenge and trusted in their technical football to win the game.
The same approach from Gary Fleming’s men will likely be required on Saturday.
Last week's win against Threave will have given Fleming's men a major confidence boost and the squad should now be clear on what they can achieve when they are fully focused for the full 90 minutes.
The result will also have raised a few eyebrows across the West of Scotland Football League and will have alerted teams that they need to be at their best when playing the Nock.
In short; if the level of performance matches last week then another valuable three points is well within reach.
Greenock, unfortunately, will be without Ryan Corr and Scott Paterson, who are recuperating from injury. On the plus side, Jack Graham is nearing full fitness and Cammy McPhee is available again after a work related absence.
And Fleming is adamant the team will not rest on their laurels from last week - though he's warned his players to be wary of an Ardeer side looking to bounce back from their Junior Cup exit last weekend, when they were dumped out of the tournament courtesy of a 4-1 loss to their struggling fourth tier rivals Vale of Leven.
"We know Saturday is going to be a completely different challenge from Threave," he said.
"It’s an away fixture, on a tricky surface, against a very physical side. You don’t get any freebies from Ardeer, and the lads will need to go out and earn anything they get from the game.
"Ardeer will be hurting, and we need to be ready for the bounce back the manger will be demanding from his team.
"Training has been very good; there is competition all over the park, which is keeping everyone at the sharp end of their game.
"We are going to Ardeer with a confidence that if we play to our abilities we can win the game."
Greenock are sponsored by Saveheat, Keystore Cowal View, Safer Group, The Lighthouse Bar, McGills, ARC and Blairs.
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