Tommy Wright has been reluctant to put a number on what St Johnstone need to ensure top six Premiership football for another year.
But the Perth boss admitted that a victory in Saturday’s Tayside derby against Dundee could be enough to take them across the line.
“Dundee will see it is an opportunity to get within four points of us,” Wright said. “But if we can win it, 10 points with five games left before the split is a hell of a lot to make up.
“Three points would almost guarantee us top six. It would be extremely difficult for the teams below us to catch up.
“There isn’t much between the various squads and only Aberdeen and Celtic have had a level of consistency over the course of the season.
“That is why the league is so tight. But we are still in a really good position and we want to get the top six nailed down and then see where it takes us.”
A 3-0 defeat at Dens Park when his team were in good form was one of the less predictable results of the season.
Wright certainly didn’t see the Hogmanay result coming.
He said: “The last time we played Dundee was frustrating for us.
“We totally dominated possession – which we never really do at Dens – but didn’t turn that into clear cut chances. And they were lethal and clinical on the counter attack.
“Dundee will be difficult opponents and they have had some really good results in recent weeks. They will come here fancying their chances.
“So the derby is nicely set up.”
Home defeats to Kilmarnock and Partick Thistle in February brought Saints’ McDiarmid Park record back into focus.
Wright, though, is still looking at the bigger picture.
“We have 37 points and are sitting in fifth place,” he said. “People might say if our home form had been better where would we be right now? But every manager can come up with if onlys.
“I don’t know why this has happened.
“It shouldn’t be pressure and we have had good results against Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts and Dundee at McDiarmid.
“The Celtic performance was superb even though we lost 5-2. And those are all high pressure games.
“Maybe our crowd expect us to win the games against the so-called smaller clubs. But the players certainly don’t expect any game to be a walkover.”