Ross County manager Malky Mackay is eager to make gains on a St Mirren side with eyes on a Premiership top-six place.
The Staggies are three points adrift of both Livingston and Dundee at the foot of the table, with a further three points separating them from the seventh-placed Buddies.
Although the Paisley outfit are without a win in six games, Mackay has no doubt Jim Goodwin’s men will harbour intentions of climbing into the upper half of the table.
That makes Mackay all the more determined to tighten up the pack of teams in front of the Staggies with a victory on Wednesday.
Mackay said: “It is a tough St Mirren team who are doing well this year. They have invested heavily in the last couple of years in terms of budget.
“They have probably got a top six or seven budget in the league.
“We have got eight matches to go in this period. By the end of that we need to try and make sure we are in the pack. That’s what I want to see.”
Staggies boss eager to keep building on recent form
Although County were forced to come from behind to secure a late 1-1 draw against Dundee United on Saturday, Mackay is encouraged by the momentum generated from a recent haul of seven points from four games.
He added: “What we have got is a group that are working really hard for each other and who, again on Saturday, showed more than their league position belies.
“We were playing the team fourth in the league and really took the game to them. We were the one team that looked like they wanted to win it and we’ve got to take that into the St Mirren game.
“We’ve got to think no further forward than that – the 90 minutes on Wednesday night is the most important game of the season.”
Mackay is eager to avenge for a 3-2 defeat to St Mirren when the sides last met at Victoria Park in October.
The Staggies boss, who will be without suspended defender Harry Clarke, added: “St Mirren are a team that has played up here already, so we know the challenge in front of us.
“It was not unlike the Dundee United one in terms of having played well in the game, but having made fundamental errors.
“We really shot ourselves in the foot with two of the three goals.
“In the second half, we really pushed and had various attempts. We really dominated.
“Like Dundee United, we know it is going to be a difficult game, but we’ve already played them and already gone toe-to-toe with them.
“We’ve got to make sure just keep building from the last few weeks.”