Ross County are aiming to end a run of three straight defeats when they travel to St Mirren for their final pre-split fixture on Saturday.
The Staggies have suffered back-to-back home defeats by a solitary goal, to Dundee United and Aberdeen, in the last 10 days.
Prior to that, County went down 2-0 to Hearts in their last outing on the road midway through last month.
Dundee and Kilmarnock made up ground on the Dingwall side last weekend, with the Dark Blues – who occupy the relegation play-off spot – just a point adrift.
The Staggies are, however, are within three points’ reach of both Motherwell and Saturday’s opponents St Mirren – who remain in contention for a top-six place.
We pick out some of the talking points covered by Staggies boss Don Cowie in his weekly press briefing.
On Saturday’s trip to St Mirren:
“We’re eager to get another game, because we’ve been frustrated with the last couple of weeks.
“We have had three difficult games, we have put a lot of effort into them all without having anything to show for it.
“It’s another opportunity to put that right and get back to winning ways.
“We’ve played two top-six teams who have been there the whole season, and I didn’t see an awful lot between us and the other two teams.
“We were really competitive.
“We put a lot of effort into it, but big moments went against us. It was a set play against Dundee United, while a moment of real quality from Shayden Morris was a deciding factor on Saturday.
“That’s just another indication of how important those moments are in games. It’s about us turning that in our favour.
“To do that, what you have to do is keep working hard like we are, and then when the moments come, can you be the one that can make the difference?”
On Noah Chilvers’ ruptured anterior cruciate ligament which he suffered in training last week:
“He’s in London today, he’s got a consultation with the surgeon. If all goes well then, he’ll possibly have surgery tomorrow, and then we’ll have a clearer picture in terms of timescale.
“But I think when it involves the knee and the damage that he’s sustained, then it’s going to be a long period of time regardless.
“I’m really gutted for him, just purely based on how good a footballer he is and the impact that he’s had at this club since he came here.
“He’s been a real talisman for us, I would say especially in the last three to four months once he found his feet and got comfortable in the new environment.
“I think anyone outwith this club in Scottish football would have seen the talent that he’s got, and the quality that he gives us as a club.
“Unfortunately, we’re not going to have that in the foreseeable future.
On opportunity which could arise for other players:
“Now it’s up to other players to grab that opportunity when it comes.
“It’s a massive opportunity. I don’t think anyone would have a direct replacement for Noah, in terms of his individuality as a football player.
“But we’ve got, you know, plenty of other players who have got different strengths and it’s up to them to bring that to the team when they play now.
On St Mirren’s performance throughout the season:
“They’ve got a massive prize potentially on Saturday, if they can get the result they need and if another result goes their way.
“They’ve got the carrot of that coming this Saturday.
“I think their last two results have maybe shown the competitiveness of the league for them.
“They had a fantastic result against Kilmarnock, when they were outstanding and won 5-1.
“I’ve watched the game against Dundee, and there wasn’t much in it, but big moments went in favour of Dundee and they lost 2-0.
“That’s the beauty of the league that we’re in, and the competitiveness of it.
“I’m sure this Saturday will be no different.
On St Johnstone’s surprise win over Celtic, and the impact it could have on the Premiership survival battle:
“I think it’s just another indication that it’s important that you focus on yourself.
“As a team, we focus on what we can control in the games that are coming up. Everyone likes to speak about where you want to go and what happens in the league table.
“I think the weekend showed that it’s just important that it’s about you and doing the best for your club to get the three points, because St Johnstone clearly showed that anything can happen.
“I’m sure most people assumed Celtic would win that game.
“It’s a lesson for everyone, I would say.”
On County’s record against their rival bottom-six teams this season:
“Once we know who’s in the bottom-six and how that actually looks, we’ve picked up a lot of points against the teams that look like are going to be in there.
“When it comes to those matches, it’s something that we can look back on in terms of what we’ve achieved in those games.
“But our focus isn’t those five games yet, the focus is St Mirren on Saturday and responding in that match.”
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