A lot of teams think they’re good… until it comes time to prove it.

Then it’s time to think again.

Ask the Edmonton Eskimos.

They thought they were one of the top clubs in the league after their 5-2 start, but when they had to prove it Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium they were slapped into the CFL’s second tier by a Hamilton Tiger Cats team that barely broke a sweat.

It’s not the first time reality trashed a confident lockerroom and it won’t be the last.

So FC Edmonton is making it a point to downplay their modest run of success lately.

Yes, they’ve posted two shutouts and are undefeated in three games for a seven-point surge that’s lifted them into the NASL playoff race, but they aren’t pretending a three-game sample size is enough to judge any team by.

“Two good wins, clean sheets and stuff, we’ve done well in the last few games, but we’re not getting carried away,” said captain Albert Watson. “We’ve only had a couple of wins. Until I’m talking to you and we have six wins in a row, then I’ll feel good.”

It’s the next one, Sunday at Clarke Field against the 2-4-2 Fort Lauderdale Strikers, that Watson believes will better reveal Edmonton’s mettle.

“This is the squeaky-bum time of the season, when your performances matter,” said Watson. “You see who’s got the ability, the appetite for it and who’s going to stand up and be counted. That’s what we’re looking to do, every one of us. We’re looking to stand up.”

Sunday will be a tricky little test of the 4-3-2 Eddies ability to deliver under pressure. It’s a game they need to win to stay in the playoff hunt and maintain their momentum, against an opponent lower in the standings that they’ve beaten before.

In other words, this is the exactly the kind of ambush game that can sneak up and bite them if they lose focus.

“We’ve had a couple of those over the years,” said Edmonton coach Colin Miller. “I can assure you there will be no complacency is this one, the guys know the script.

“Everyone has to stay humble and stay focused on what is in store there’s 11 games to go. We’ve gone from being an easy team to score on to a very difficult team to score on, while still scoring goals ourselves, but nobody is allowed to be carried away with anything here.”

The Eddies are just two points out of a playoff spot as they approach the second half of the Fall Season and will play six of their final 10 on the road. So they need to take care of business at home.

“At home we are very strong as a team,” said defender Kareem Moses. “We’re on good form right now and we have to continue with that. Everyone is sharp, everyone is on their toes. We can’t afford to slip up at all, at home especially, because we have a lot of road games coming up. We have to get three points from a home game.”

Fort Lauderdale arrives as an offensively gifted team with nothing to lose, which can also be a dangerous combination in the right circumstances.

“It’s going to be a massive game,” said the Watson. “Fort Lauderdale is a force to be reckoned with attack-wise. They’re known as an attacking Brazilian style team. If we’re not at our best we’re going to make it difficult for ourselves.”

robert.tychkowski@sunmedia.ca