Perthshire have taken “huge belief” from Saturday afternoon’s 43-22 triumph against Greenock Wanderers.
The Eagles soared to National League Division 3 victory at the North Inch to kick-start their campaign and jump up to eighth in the standings.
Following a tight opening half, Shire were able to keep their foot on the accelerator after the break to push clear and bank valuable early points.
“I thought we played really well and we controlled it,” coach Alan Clark told the Perthshire Advertiser.
“There was a period in the middle of the game where, in the past, we might have let it get away from us and let the opposition back into the game.
“But we managed to keep the foot on the pedal and, in the end, it was a good win for us.
“I was really pleased with how the boys stuck in and got the job done. We’ve been at pains to press on the boys how fit they actually are.
“We worked really hard on that over the summer and I think there is a realisation that it’s paying off.
“If we’re in the game in the last 20 minutes, we’re going to stand a good chance of pulling away.”
Recording a victory so early in the season provides the perfect platform to build further, Clark believes.
He explained: “We have suffered before from not getting a boost at the start of the season.
“But there is a different feeling about this squad. A feeling that, if we get some momentum, we can be pretty hard to stop.
“It was really important for us to get off the mark at the weekend. The performance was good and the points come off the back of that performance.
“It has given us a huge amount of belief that we can head into the next game confident and able to keep the run going. Momentum is huge.”
That next game sees Shire hit the road for a fixture with Allan Glen's who have opened up their season with back-to-back defeats, albeit narrow ones.
Clark said: “What you always find with Glasgow teams is that they tend to be well-coached and quick.
“They will probably have two or three students. So they will be quick and fast. They will be at home and of course will be looking for that first win. We’ll need to be on our game.”
Matt Stevens should be available for Shire and Clark confirmed all his players came through the Greenock win unscathed.
“I haven’t heard of anybody who is carrying any knocks and we’re hoping a couple of guys return from injury for the weekend coming,” he said.
“Matt Stevens should be good to go. The squad is actually looking really good at the moment.”
