Ross County go into the post-split fixtures with momentum on their side in their Premiership survival bid but co-manager Steven Ferguson knows plenty can still change in the weeks ahead.
The Staggies have taken five points from five games since Ferguson and Stuart Kettlewell took over on an interim basis last month following the departure of Owen Coyle.
That haul has moved County off the bottom of the table, a point above Partick Thistle, with Saturday’s home game against Motherwell the first of five remaining fixtures.
Although County’s revival has injected fresh hope they can catch Hamilton Accies and Dundee, who are four points ahead, in the bid to avoid the relegation play-off spot, Ferguson remains mindful the job of securing top-flight safety is far from done.
He said: “We have talked about momentum and going into the last five games strongly.
“When the Premiership split comes it’s almost a case of going again and four points is nothing when everyone is playing each other.
“It can turn very quickly in your favour or against you.
“There are five teams fighting for their lives, there is so much to play for and it’s going to be exciting.
“It’s a whole different challenge now, we have three away from home and two at home.
“We have one midweek game and one Friday game, so it’s not the usual Saturday to Saturday we are used to.
“We know what’s in front of us and the players know that, it’s in our hands to go out there and do the best we can do.”
Ferguson is enjoying his role but insists he will only be fully satisfied if County maintain their top-flight status for a seventh successive season.
He added: “Stuart and I are loving the challenge. We came into this with our eyes open and were not kidding ourselves on. We have come in and tried to be as honest and transparent as we could be.
“We have been surprised how much we’re enjoying it and that’s important because we want that to rub off on the players and the supporters.
“On the training ground we are relaxed and confident in what we’re doing, so there are smiles on people’s faces. It’s about creating a feel-good factor around the whole club.
“But we will only really enjoy it properly if we get enough points over these next five games to keep the club in the league.”