Rob Roy boss Maxwell upbeat over facing leaders Hurlford

But Rabs boss Stewart Maxwell says he is looking forward to tackling the Ayrshire side on their own patch on Saturday.

Hurlford have won all eight of their Premiership games so far, racking up 27 points in the process, and sit eight points clear at the top of the table.

In contrast injury-hit Rob Roy have struggled to gain any kind of momentum and are hovering just above the relegation zone.

But Maxwell says his side should go to Blair Park on Saturday in a positive frame of mind.

He said: “They’re absolutely flying but while people might say Hurlford away is the hardest game you can get I’m looking forward to it.

“They’ve had a terrific start but somebody’s going to end up beating them.

“Darren Henderson [Hurlford manager] will know that himself and it gives the players an impetus to go and beat the best team in the league just now.

“Can we do it? Time till tell but we’ll give it a go. It will be an interesting and exciting game and we’ll give it a shot.”

Over the past couple of seasons Maxwell has seen his side prove on a regular basis that, on their day, they can be a match for anyone.

And he can take positives from Saturday’s 1-1 draw with former champions Glenafton at Guy’s Meadow.

Maxwell said: “I thought a draw was a fair result. They were slightly better than us in the first half, albeit a terrible decision leading up to their goal, their free-kick.

“I just felt we started well in the first 10 minutes, but they got to grips with us after that and I thought they were better.

“At half-time I said to the guys we were still in the game if we could up our quality a wee bit and in the second half we were a lot better and stopped them from playing.”

Injuries have contributed largely to a frustrating campaign for Rabs so far and continue to have a major impact on Maxwell’s selection options.

He admitted: “But again having one striker available curtails your formation and it’s difficult.

“I thought defensively we did well because they’re a good side.

“Willie Sawyers never scored but had a terrific second half leading the line and becoming more of a handful because he got a wee bit more service in the second half. I thought he was excellent for us.”

“Overall I was pleased. I had a young boy from Livingston, Alberto Vezza, thrown in for his debut because of injuries.

“He’s only 18 and did really well considering it was his first game at that level.

“He’ll only get better, as will Cameron Clark who’s also on loan from Livingston and had another solid game at left-back.”

Maxwell has also brought in another youngster, defender Dylan Young, on loan from Stirling Albion.

He said: “These young boys are all fit and keen to learn from the quality round about them.

“If we can just get a few more bodies back it will give us a bit more competition and give other guys a break and we’ll be all right, we’ll be a handful for teams.”