Harry Paton insists the Ross County players can handle the pressure as they try to keep the club in the Premiership.
With four games remaining, County are 10th in the division, a position which would secure survival for the Staggies.
However, just three points separate John Hughes’ side and bottom club Hamilton, meaning the margin for error in the final weeks of the season is slim.
The heat is on at the bottom of the table, but Paton says the County players are relishing the high stakes.
He said: “I play a lot better when there is that pressure and it is a cup final every week. You need that desire as it is all on the line and we have boys who excel in those pressure moments. We have a strong team but we need to perform.
“We are disappointed not to get the full three points at Kilmarnock, but we have a home game now and we’re going to give our all.
“The gaffer always says just to stay in the game and not to panic. We tend to concede straight away when do score a goal so we have been working on that. It’s about having the right mindset.”
County have not managed to beat Jim Goodwin’s St Mirren so far this season, but, with the two teams set to go head to head for the final time at Victoria Park tonight, Paton knows this would be the ideal time to change that unwelcome record.
The chance to gain a measure of revenge after losing out to a contentious penalty won by Collin Quaner of Saints when the sides last met in Paisley in February would be an added bonus.
He said: “St Mirren are a good team. They like to break teams down and have some good threats going forward but I feel we are a good match against them. We like to break teams down too and I think it will be a good match-up.
“In the last game obviously, it was a controversial penalty and it was really frustrating. He went down very easy and the ref made the wrong decision in that game. We’d definitely like to get those points back on Wednesday.
“If you do that, it puts the impetus on the ref, but we won’t try to do any of that stuff. We’ll play the game and go for the win.”
While County are aiming for league survival, Paton is also pushing for more game time under Hughes. The 22 year-old midfielder is happy to contribute whenever called upon but hopes he can force his way into the starting 11 at the club.
He said: “Whenever the gaffer calls on me I am going to give it 100%. He knows what I bring to the team and hopefully he calls on me on Wednesday.
“I’d rather start every game and give it everything for the full 90 minutes, but if the gaffer thinks I can come off the bench then I will give it my all.
“I’ve been really happy personally. I’ve had a lot of experiences this year and gained a lot of experience, but there is still a lot more to come and I need to improve in the final third in terms of assists and goals.
“When I came here I came off the bench a lot in the Championship, but in the Premiership it felt like a fresh start for me and it was a really good experience for me. I tried to keep my consistency up and improving as I went along and it has been really good.
“I am a big believer in the football speaking for itself and I will keep focused on what I do in training and games. I’m not too big on going in and asking: ‘why am I not playing?’ I prefer to show I should be playing by being the best player on the pitch.”