St Johnstone found the required vigour to overcome Hearts in their last game at McDiarmid Park.
And Callum Davidson is hoping that after losing their way with a frustrating second half Dingwall collapse they can rediscover it for the visit of Rangers.
“Confidence has to be at a good level,” said the Perth boss.
“This is going to be a tough game but there is plenty to play for and we just have to go in with a fresh attitude.
“I am looking for the kind of zest and intensity we had against Hearts here.
“We had a good support in that game and hopefully the fans will get behind us again and we can put in a performance to put Rangers under pressure.”
📸🌞| pic.twitter.com/qyukY7tJyC
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) March 1, 2022
The Premiership relegation battle might feel like a rollercoaster ride at the moment but Davidson wants his squad to maintain a calm focus.
“I’ve told the players you can’t get too high or too low in a position like this,” he said.
“There are going to be ups and downs.
“You probably see confidence can be a bit fragile.
“I feel we can do better with a lot of things. We have to do better after going 1-0 up in games.
“We were too passive after we scored at Ross County.
“I think we have gone one up in five games since the break.
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Here is the behind the goal shot of @Callum_Hendry putting us ahead last night! #SJFC #UpLikeASalmon pic.twitter.com/XShQanagJH
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) February 2, 2022
“We hadn’t done that in ages so we are getting there.
“It is about the mental side as a group, as a unit, and we have to try to overcome it.
“We have to make sure here we are in games and what we are trying to achieve at certain points.
“But it is a hard one to deal with. If it was easy we’d be winning those games 1-0.”
Up and down Rangers
Rangers have also struggled for consistency of late – knocking Borussia Dortmund out of the Europa League on the Thursday and then throwing away a two-goal lead against Motherwell three days later.
“I don’t know if that’s good or bad for us,” said Davidson when asked about the Ibrox side being booed off at the weekend.
“They had an unbelievable result in Europe and that was fantastic for Scottish football.
“But it is about us and what we do. Can we frustrate them? Can we get their fans to get on their backs?
“They are under pressure in a different way from us.
“Rangers are under pressure to win the league.
“Can we put them in a position where they feel uncomfortable and try to get a result out of it?”
