Ross County manager Malky Mackay insists there is no reason why his side cannot follow St Mirren’s lead and surge up the Premiership table.
The Staggies are without a victory from their opening eight league matches, and they aim to get off the mark when they host the Buddies at Victoria Park on Saturday.
Their opponents were also winless from their first six matches, but back-to-back victories have catapulted Jim Goodwin’s men to seventh – and within three points of a top-half place.
With County 11th in the table and above Dundee on goal difference, Mackay says a quickfire run of results can make a big difference to the Staggies’ outlook.
He said: “There’s definitely been games where we could have been looking at coming away with three points.
“The Aberdeen game is one and the Motherwell game was going in one direction, if we’d actually taken our chances.
“Six points and, next minute, you’re right there.
“If I genuinely thought teams were wiping the deck with us then I’d start to think: ‘Where are we here?’
“Honestly, other than the first half against Hibs at Easter Road when we weren’t so good, we’ve been in every game – in the last five minutes against Rangers, and it takes a deflection in the 70th minute at Parkhead. We’ve gone toe-to-toe with everyone so far and, at times, been an equal with everyone.
“That’s something that gives me great hope for the group going forward.”
Mackay is relishing the return to home action, with their last Victoria Park outing coming in a 2-2 draw with Hearts on September 18.
He added: “It is great to get back here again. It means the boys are not staying in hotels or journeying miles. They can get in their own beds at night.
“But us being back here in front of our own fans helps as well. It has been fantastic seeing the little band of fans that followed us to Fir Park and Tannadice.
“It will be great to be out in front of the home fans and the pitch looks absolutely terrific.”
The visit of the Buddies is followed by another home match against Livingston, before the Staggies make a midweek trip to bottom-placed Dundee on October 27.
Mackay is not looking any further than this weekend’s Paisley opponents, adding: “It is just another three games. People didn’t think we would get points out of games where we have.
“It is teams in the next few games that are seen as being in our section, but it makes no odds – it is the next game.
“That’s as far as we look.”