Derby day excitement cranked up for rival duo
Jamie Dishington admits there is always "a bit of needle" when Spartans and city rivals Edinburgh City go head to head.
The midfielder has played in his fair share of Capital derbies stretching back to their Lowland League days when both clubs competed in Scottish football's fifth tier.
Spartans failed to win on home soil against their neighbours last season, although they did beat City on both occasions at Meadowbank. Dougie Samuel's men will go into this weekend's encounter buoyed by the comeback victory over Annan in their League Two curtain-raiser, trailing 2-0 with six minutes remaining plus injury time.
However, a quite remarkable turnaround saw the visitors score four in 12 minutes at Galabank to secure the most unlikeliest three points.
And Dishington is now hoping to carry that momentum into tomorrow's tussle at the Vanloq Community Stadium.
"We didn't play well in the first half and Annan were really organised," the 29-year-old said. "But Brogan (Walls) came on and changed the game and did brilliantly. And once we got the first goal, we just kicked on from there. In League Two you need to have a bit of energy about you, but I felt we were just running at one pace. With the first game of the season you just want to get that win, whatever way it happens, and thankfully we got that, albeit the performance could have been a lot better.
"There's always a bit of needle in these games. I think Edinburgh City have recruited well again and their manager sets his team up well. The last couple of times we've had their number so I hope that's the same again this weekend. I don't think anyone expected them to lose 5-0 against Elgin but we can't be complacent. They brought a decent support to Ainslie Park last year and it was a good atmosphere, even though we got beat 1-0. These are the games you always look forward to."
Spartans missed out on being crowned champions - and promotion to League One - last season as East Kilbride came from behind to clinch the title. And after missing out through the play-offs, losing to divisional rivals Clyde in the semi-finals, Dishington admits he and his team-mates are desperate to go one better this time round.
"Last year was disappointing," he explained. "We had an eight-point gap at one point but then East Kilbride went on that unbelievable run and fair play to them. It still hurts, but I think the boys are all motivated to go that one step further and try and get over the line. We can only focus on ourselves.
"Pre-season and the Premier Sports Cup was a bit stop-start. We had quite a few injuries and the gaffer was playing some trialists to have a look at them. But we played well against both Arbroath and Montrose, so there were some positives. I think the squad is in good shape despite losing a couple of really experienced players like Callum Booth, Kieran Watson, and Kevin Waugh. Everyone just needs to stay fit, that's a big thing for this season because it can really knock off your stride."
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Mark Weir insists City will be doing all they can to make amends for last weekend's heavy defeat to Elgin.
Michael McIndoe's players shipped five to the Highlanders without reply at Meadowbank, a result they are eager to rectify at the first time of asking.
"I'm not sure what went wrong," 34-year-old Weir said. "We had some good performances and results in the Premier Sports Cup so we went into the game full of confidence. But when you come up against an experienced Elgin side, they are going to capitalise on any mistakes. We were desperate to start the season off on a positive note, but it didn't work out that way.
"We set up to attack, but Elgin, to their credit, had a gameplan and we didn't adjust. If you look at the goals, all of them came from mistakes by us. And the mad thing is despite losing five goals, there wasn't a lot between the sides.
"The gaffer had a few strong words for us after the match, and then again at training on Tuesday night, so we're desperate to get back at it and show a marked improvement on Saturday."
The Citizens are currently bottom on minus five having been hit with a points deduction for an insolvency event last season. However, it's a far cry from the 15-point penalty they incurred 12 months ago. Weir is adamant it's very much a case of taking it one game at a time.
"I think Spartans is the perfect game for us," he explained. "You're not going to get a tougher test in this division. They were brilliant last season and unlucky not to go up, but they have a lot of quality. We know how much this game means to the fans. We were unbeaten against them at Ainslie Park last season so there's no better way to bounce back with a victory against your biggest rivals.
"The biggest psychological thing last year was never getting off the bottom of the league. It was tough. We just need to keep pace with the teams above us. Our first target is ninth place and then we'll take things from there. We want to get to zero as quickly as possible. Inverness won the league with a points deduction so it's something you have to hold on to that we can get ourselves up the table."