Ross County manager Jim McIntyre believes his side can carry momentum into next season by finishing a disappointing campaign with a flourish.
County are on course to stave off the threat of relegation, having moved four points clear of second-bottom Motherwell with an emphatic 4-0 Highland derby win against Caley Thistle last Friday.
The Staggies missed their target of a top-six finish this season, having won only seven matches prior to their victory against Inverness in their first post-split fixture.
Two years ago, County produced an excellent run to haul themselves off the bottom of the table having been six points adrift with 14 games left and McIntyre believes another strong finish can set up his side for next term.
He said: “Taking momentum into the following season is definitely important as we saw from our first season here.
“We went on the run of nine wins from 12 and we carried it on into a really good start the following season which, ultimately, when we did have a poor patch, kept us in the top-six.
“That’s how important it is and it can have a bearing on next season.”
County are aiming to finish seventh, with the Dingwall side two points behind Kilmarnock with four games to go.
Although McIntyre believes County have put themselves in a good position in the race for Premiership survival, the Staggies manager knows how quickly things can change.
He added: “I went along to Motherwell’s 3-2 defeat against Dundee on Saturday and it was just a reminder that every team is scrapping tooth and nail for every point.
“I fully expect it to go to the wire. We just have to concentrate on ourselves. We’re four unbeaten and want to continue that run on. We’ve got to be mindful of the fact it is really tight below us. We have got one eye on that, but our goal is to try to be the best of the rest, just the same as Kilmarnock and the other teams apart from Inverness will be thinking.
“It is there for any team that puts that bit of consistency together. We’re doing that at the moment but still have a lot of work to do.”