Scott Brown hopes Peterhead can start looking upwards again after moving clear from the bottom of League One.
A hard-earned victory over East Fife on Saturday, in which the Blue Toon played the last 25 minutes with a man down, means they are now four points clear of Forfar.
They have struggled for consistency so far this campaign, but Brown points to the example of Montrose as to how League One can be successfully navigated.
Montrose have won four of their last six games, including back-to-back away wins against Cove Rangers and Airdrieonians, to propel them up to fourth.
Brown netted the stunning winner at Balmoor and hopes Peterhead can start making ground in a highly competitive division.
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Brown said: “It’s a hard league – we can argue and say we should have won some of the games we’ve lost but everybody is so competitive. Montrose go on a run and sit fourth – they go to Airdrie and win and I think they’re the sort of team we should be looking at as a perfect example. If you go on a run of three or four games you can move up the table.
“First and foremost we had to win to get away from the bottom of the table, but the boys know we’ve got a bit more quality in the dressing room. We should be looking towards the play-offs.
“It’s massive because East Fife are going to be around you as well. We’ve probably not had a fully-fit squad all season – Isaac came back and hopefully Simon should be back next week. Hopefully we can kick on from this.”
Brown was able to play a more attacking role on Saturday, with Dundee United loanee Kieran Freeman deployed in a holding role behind him in midfield.
50' Peterhead – East Fife 2-1: GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL FOR PETERHEAD!!! AND WHAT A GOAL IT WAS FROM SCOTT BROWN!!! pic.twitter.com/lVhmEqnpeC
— Peterhead FC (@pfcofficial) December 12, 2020
It is a position normally occupied by Simon Ferry but he has struggled with injuries this season, while Andrew McCarthy limped off early on against East Fife.
The performances of Freeman and fellow young loanee Lyall Cameron – Peterhead’s other scorer – have caught the eye.
He added: “I thought both the loan boys were brilliant. Lyall showed his quality in the first half and Kieran was brilliant in centre midfield. It helps you out massively when you know you’ve got someone like that in behind you.
“It gives me a bit more freedom – same as when Simon (Ferry). You appreciate when you’ve got someone in behind that you can break forward a bit more.”
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