Ross County moved off the bottom of the Premiership last weekend and manager Jim McIntyre has challenged his players to ensure they stay there.
Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Motherwell took County off the foot of the league for the first time since McIntyre arrived at the club in September.
The Staggies welcome Hamilton Accies to Victoria Park tomorrow and, although McIntyre is looking up the table rather than behind, he feels his side must eradicate defensive errors if the Satggies are to climb the league.
McIntyre said: “We could quite easily find ourselves back there in the next game. We’ve spoken about how getting off the bottom is very important but now we’ve got to stay off the bottom and try to move up another place. That’s the immediate aim.
“We realise that will be difficult but that’s been the case since we came in the door. It’s a forward step and it’s a step to build on.
“We need to a bit cleverer and not so naïve. We lost a couple of goals on the counter in the 3-2 defeat by Dundee United and there was a boot up the park last Saturday where, all of a sudden, we’re letting someone get the ball down and run with it.
“Everyone makes individual mistakes – I don’t know any coach or player who doesn’t. It’s important when you make them it doesn’t turn into a goal but, unfortunately for us, that’s what’s been happening.”
McIntyre feels tomorrow’s opponents are a fine example of how confidence can breed results, with the Lanarkshire side currently occupying fifth spot having gone 11 games undefeated at the start of the campaign.
However, the former Dunfermline and Queen of the South manager felt last week’s point was just reward for the chances County created and he hopes to carry the same attacking threat into tomorrow’s game.
McIntyre added: “We’ll have our hands full. We’re at home, playing well and creating chances and we need to continue to do that. What we do need to do is keep the back door shut at the other end.
“We created numerous chances last week and it was nice to make sure we got something out of the game. It would have been our own fault but to not take anything out of the game with the amount of chances we had would have been a real sore one to take.
“Credit to the boys, I thought they kept going right to the death and deservedly got a point. Now we want to get back-to-back results and start climbing the table.”