Ross County manager Jim McIntyre has warned the pressure is on the Staggies to deliver results in the next five Premiership matches to have any chance of earning a top six berth.
The Dingwall men are five points adrift of sixth-placed Partick Thistle, with only six games before next month’s league split.
Of the remaining games, the next five are against teams within five points of County, before the Highlanders play their final pre-split match at home to runaway leaders Celtic on April 16.
It is make or break time for County, and McIntyre fears any slip in the next five matches, starting with Saturday’s home match against Kilmarnock, will leave his side with too much to do.
McIntyre said: “We’ve put runs together in the past and it’s going to have to be similar.
“I still maintain I think it will go down to the wire, down to the last couple of games at least, just with the way results have gone this season.
“If it’s going to be us it’s going to have to take a strong, unbeaten run.
“There are six games between now and the split, and the head-to-heads between the clubs are going to be the most important games.
“Five out of our last six games are going to determine our season.”
McIntyre is urging supporters to remain patient in their backing of the Staggies, and added: “At times like this we need to have a bit of patience.
“We need to stick together because it’s so important.
“Our objective is still on, and we need the supporters to make Dingwall a noisy place.
“There’s no doubt the home crowd can have a huge part to play, especially in these next couple of games. We’ve got Kilmarnock at home and then Inverness away, where we’re looking for a really large travelling support.
“The importance of these games cannot be lost on anyone. We need the supporters to try to get into full voice and get right behind the players to help us achieve those goals.”