St Johnstone defender Danny Grainger believes Saints are facing a decisive double this week as they aim to keep their top-six hopes alive.
They welcome Aberdeen to McDiarmid Park on Wednesday night then host Hibernian on Saturday the two teams that sit above and below them in the table respectively.
The Perth men need to rediscover the winning touch, having taken just a point from their last three league outings, first losing to Inverness CT, drawing with Dundee United then going down to Rangers.
The latest result a 4-0 defeat at Ibrox was deflating but Grainger argued there is no time to dwell on that performance, given the importance of what lies ahead.
He said, “We had a bad start and a bad performance at Ibrox but we are better than that.
“The good thing is we have a quick opportunity to put things right against Aberdeen and must take that chance.”
He added, “That match and the next one against Hibs are a lot more important now if we are to achieve our ambitions of reaching the top six.
“It is close in our area of the table and it is going to be a scrap. It will be a battle in every game from now on.”
Grainger is a fan of Dons boss Craig Brown and is not surprised that they have had two wins and a draw without conceding in their last three fixtures.
Mind you, Saints are rightly proud of their own shutout record at McDiarmid Park, stretching back to November 13.Saints’ ‘expectations’Grainger said, “Craig Brown is a great manager and I think his being in charge has been a real boost to Aberdeen.
“It is not a shock to me that they are doing well again.”
He added, “They have not been losing goals at home and we, too, are proud of our shutout record at McDiarmid.
“We may have been keeping them out at home but we have lost six goals in our last two away matches now.
“As a defender you have to take that on the chin and try to make sure you get it right next time.”
Manager Derek McInnes believes there is only one top-six place to shoot for.
He said, “I think Kilmarnock will stay with the Old Firm and Hearts, and Dundee United have games in hand and will maybe be favourites to reach the top six, so that means there is one slot available with five teams looking for it.
“To have that opportunity to get there is great testament to my players.”
He added, “Expectations were raised after last season and rightly so.
“We haven’t quite reached them yet but it is difficult to be critical of them.
“We are 15 points clear of the bottom side and we will take that without question, regardless of our position in the table.”
McInnes said, “If we can come out of the two SPL games against Aberdeen and Hibs with credit then a top-six place becomes a serious objective for us.”Caution over supplementsMeanwhile, McInnes will reiterate his advice on dietary supplements to his players after it emerged that former team-mate Simon Mensing had served a four-week ban for testing positive for the stimulant methylhexaneamine.
He said, “There were leaflets handed out to all our players at the start of the season but this alerts us all.
“Players look for that wee bit extra and in some clubs and leagues it is actively encouraged.”
He added, “I played with Simon at St Johnstone and he is a good, experienced professional who will have more awareness than most.
“So we will speak about it again and send home the message, especially to the younger players.
“We have to stress to them that they can’t just buy products over the counter they have to run it past our medical people first.
“It shows that we can’t be complacent.”
Michael Duberry will definitely miss the Aberdeen clash his injured groin has been scanned and the likely spell on the sidelines for the former Chelsea man will be known on Wednesday.
Dave Mackay is expected to shift into central defence, while Alan Maybury will probably fill in at right-back.