Highland seek big wins after break
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DAVE Carson knows Highland’s post-international fixture will take care of itself.
The two matches where he wants to see real progress from the Canal Park side is those that follow the big home fixture against Melrose on November 12.
Highland follow-up that box office occasion with away tests against Aberdeen Grammar and Watsonians, two teams toiling near the foot of the table.
The running sore that is Highland’s over all away form in National One reopened at the weekend with a worrying lapse in form against Stirling County.
A decent enough first half saw Highland trail, but play with enough about them to suggest the points could be theirs. There followed a bit of a horror show as the north team ran out 34-13 losers.
Carson knows that if his youthful squad is to be elevated in status from mid-table competitors to genuine title contenders, they must address weakness on the road and begin to pick up more points.
The Melrose home match will be played in front of a packed house at Canal Park, but what Carson has been striving to ensure is that his team find the same energy reserves and drive away from home as they do before their own spectators.
“We’ve got a week off, then the big game at home to Melrose,” Carson reflected.
“That will be a big occasion for everyone against visitors who are challenging for the title just above us.
“We’re obviously going to be fully focused on that one, but I want to see how well we can do in the two subsequent games away from home.
“We need to turn this away form around again. We thought we’d got that monkey off our back, beating Stewart’s Melville away.
“The break will give some of the guys a rest, as it has been full-on, and then we can really get fixed for what we’re doing in the next three games. It is an important period because these three games will take us to the halfway stage.”
