KEVIN MCDONALD believes that this season's League One table will take longer to take shape due to the competitiveness of the teams in it.

And the Kelty Hearts assistant boss says that they are expecting a tough afternoon when second bottom Dumbarton, who they drew 2-2 with in August, make their first-ever trip to New Central Park on Saturday.

The 'Maroon Machine', for whom player / manager, Michael Tidser, made a welcome return from injury, ended a three-game losing streak in both the league and SPFL Trust Trophy with a draw at financially-stricken Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday.

They are sixth in the standings, just four points off top spot, but are equally the same number ahead of their weekend opponents.

"It's going to take longer than I think a normal season. You'd look at 10 or 11 games before you start to see gaps and stuff appear, but I think this is going to be double that for this league," McDonald said.

"I think eventually it will split at some point, where there'll be a little bit of a gap, so it's important you stay in the top half of the gap and then not get dragged into anything at the bottom, because every team is just as good as each other.

"We had a really tough game down at Dumbarton. I think obviously we could have been three or four up in the first 20 minutes and, after that, we struggled and we hung on for a draw.

"But they're a big strong physical side and, obviously, they'll enjoy the tight pitch at Kelty I think, so it's our job to try and again control the game and create chances but yeah, expecting a tough game like always.

"There's no doubt in my mind that we'll control the game and the ball, it's just trying to create chances and then, when we do lose possession, like any team does, we need to make sure they don't hurt us with set plays and longer balls.

"We'll be working on that this week to fix that and then, fingers crossed, come Saturday the boys are in a good place."

McDonald acknowledged the importance of ending a run of two straight league losses, at home to Montrose and away to Stenhousemuir, as well as the return of some key players.

"The Montrose game at home, we were disappointed. It was probably the poorest we've played in terms of the first nine games," he continued.

"That was one of the ones that was a bit disappointing because we felt like we'd been in a good place, and then obviously the Stenhousemuir one was just injuries, with the gaffer missing, Tam O'Ware, Jacob MacIntyre, Scott Allan. We had too many bodies missing. I think the best teams in the world struggle to miss their best players, and we had four or five of them.

"That was tough, but they're all coming back now. When the group's all together, I have no doubt we'll be there or thereabouts, but it's just keeping the group together and keeping injury-free."