ONE more win could be enough to keep a down-to-the-bare-bones Dunbar United up, according to the club’s manager.
The Seasiders sit three points – and four places – above the drop zone in the East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL) Premier Division with just three games to play.
However, Kevin Haynes’ squad was stretched to the limit with just 14 fit players – including the recently retired Fraser McLaren – for Saturday’s contest with Blackburn United.
The two sides shared four goals and Haynes said: “In the circumstances, it was a massive result for us.
“It might turn out to be a good point because we were down to the bare bones.
“We had three fit substitutes, two of which were used within the first 15-20 minutes.
“Then, the third one was Fraser McLaren, who had come back to help me out, but he has not done anything since he retired in December.
“I was quite reluctant to put him on – it would not be fair on him to potentially play 70 minutes or whatever.
“It might turn out to be a good point in the end.”
The visitors from West Lothian are also at the heart of the relegation battle, sitting out of the bottom four on goal difference.
Haynes has previously spoken about reaching 40 points, which he thinks will be enough to extend the club’s stay in the top flight of the EoSFL.
Victory on Saturday would have taken the side to that figure but his preparations were not helped due to absences and then injuries.
He said: “We got a really bad injury to Darren Handling, who had to go to hospital, which halted the game for probably 10 minutes.
“It was a head injury, a concussion, he was knocked out and it was not nice to see.
“I think that affected certainly our team but probably affected the game, the tempo of the game, and it was just not enjoyable at all.
“We had lost somebody in the warm-up and then I was two substitutes down.”
Strikes from Kieran Ingram and Darren Smith ensured the points were shared at New Countess Park, with Dunbar set for another relegation six-pointer with Dundonald Bluebell on Saturday.
The Fife side will travel to East Lothian three points clear of their opponents.
Haynes said the competitive nature of the league – with just 11 points separating Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale, who sit in the relegation places, and fifth-placed Crossgates Primrose – made for an intriguing end to the season.
The manager said: “We want to win as many games as possible and get as high up the league as we can still.
“That is no different now and I want to win nine points out of nine and be pushing into that top 10 or top eight, whatever the nine points can get us.
“But it is so cut throat, you cannot predict what is going to happen.
“Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale and Dundonald have defeated Jeanfield Swifts and obviously people would not have us beating Musselburgh or Linlithgow Rose.
“Everybody can beat everybody.
“The last few fixtures are going to be quite telling.
“There are a lot of teams down the bottom playing each other.
“Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale have still got to play Hill of Beath Hawthorn and Newtongrange Star.
“Hill of Beath have to play Tynecastle – they both cannot win.
“If they are going to cut each others throats, it could be good for us but we will just concentrate on what we are doing and picking up as many points as we can.”
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