GREENOCK Wanderers host Musselburgh at Fort Matilda tomorrow as the BT National League Second Division reaches its sixth weekend of competition.

For Wanderers the match signals the start of a vital four-week period during which they will enjoy home advantage on three occasions and sandwich in a trip to bottom side Haddington.

The three home fixtures are against tomorrow’s opponents Musselburgh, Whitecraigs and Cartha Queens Park and the harsh reality is that some victories must be achieved during this series of games if the locals are to avoid being cast adrift at the bottom end of the table.

It is a daunting prospect as the days of home advantage at Fort Matilda virtually guaranteeing success are but a dim and distant memory.

Indeed home form over the past three seasons has seen a gradual dwindling in victories to such an extent that Wanderers have not won a league match on home soil for a full calendar year.

The last success at Fort Matilda was against West of Scotland on 12 October 2013 when they won convincingly 36-7.

Tomorrow’s opposition will provide a stiff test as Musselburgh are currently sitting in fourth place in the table having won three and drawn one of their five matches to date.

They are one of the more fancied sides in the league but analysis of their results would indicate that they are a much stronger force at home than they are on the road.

Two sizeable victories were recorded against Cartha Queens Park and Ardrossan Academicals, plus a very creditable draw was earned last weekend against second placed Falkirk at their home base at Stoneyhill, where the sides could not be separated after producing a 56-point thriller.

On the road so far this season though they were heavily beaten 59-26 by Hamilton and only just edged out Aberdeenshire by two points at Woodside a fortnight ago.

The form book therefore would indicate that although Wanderers will enter the match as clear under-dogs they have a chance to upset the Musselburgh promotion challenge, but only if they can get a strong side onto the park and play with the spirit, intensity and tactical acumen that they are capable of.

In terms of selection, head coach Graham Knox will stick mostly with the squad that did the club proud last weekend at Aberdeenshire where they played with pride and passion and were unfortunate not to take more from the match than the losing bonus point. Captain Murray MacDonald seems to have found his niche and a new lease of life at number eight. His powerful running off the base of the scrum is now a major attacking option for the locals and with last weekend’s man-of-the-match Ryan McGhee and fellow prop forward Dougie Smith bang in form the locals should ensure a sufficiency of front foot possession, particularly when the hard yards have to be made close to the contact zone.

Matt Gray and Ally Abernethy will provide the forward impetus at scrum time and the youthful exuberance of Alex Lyons and Anton Ward will be given full reign in open play, where their fitness and industry will be put to good effect as the Wanderers’ break-away unit look to stamp their authority on proceedings at the tackle area.

Andy McDougall, pictured, and Kenny Diffenthal form the axis at half-back and, with this pairing also back to their best, there is a quiet confidence down Octavia Terrace way that the fortunes of the season are about to change.

Wanderers’ chances of success will depend on the decision making of McDougall and Diffenthal at the fulcrum, assuming skipper MacDonald and his pack can ensure an adequate supply of possession.

The back line also looks strong with Callum Harrison and Michael Frizzell doing well in the problematic centre positions last week.

Harrison and Frizzell’s main ‘raison d’être’ is to lock down the midfield channel and ensure that the Wanderers defensive line remains intact.

Full-back Leigh Tyley will also lend his considerable talents to that objective and if the locals can remain secure at the back then their chances of victory increase substantially.

Tyley and wingers Chris McCarron and Gregor Fletcher are proven finishers and given the right circumstances scrum-half McDougall will spread the play in an effort to get the back three into the game in threatening positions.

A highly competitive match is anticipated and as usual the large and vocal Wanderers support will crowd the touchline in the hope of victory. Whether the locals can produce the win remains to be seen but they have posted improved performances in the last two weeks and with the anniversary of their last victory at Fort Matilda having been reached, tomorrow would be exactly the right time to get back to winning ways.

l Wanderers are sponsored by Texas Instruments.