Ian Murray insists winning is all that matters as Raith Rovers bid to keep pace with Dundee United at the top of the Championship.
But the Stark’s Park boss is convinced both title rivals will still suffer setbacks in a rollercoaster run-in.
Raith hauled themselves to within just a single point of United with Tuesday’s 1-0 win away to Partick Thistle.
It was a hard-fought victory and not the prettiest of games or best of performances from Rovers – but three points nonetheless.
After last Saturday’s historic Fife derby triumph over Dunfermline, Murray was thrilled to see his side back up that success with another.
And he will take the three points whichever way they come if the Kirkcaldy outfit can eke out another win against Queen’s Park at Hampden this weekend.
Murray said: “I’ve watched Queen’s Park twice now in the last month and both times they haven’t won the game but, I’ll tell you, they’re sharp.
“So, we expect a tough, tough game, there’s no doubt about it. It’s not going to be easy but we know if we play well we can win it.
“And, like any other Championship game, if we don’t play well we won’t win it.
Three points all that matters
“We’re at the stage now where I don’t really care how we win, as long as we try to pick up three points.
“The bottom line now is keeping pace with Dundee United. We’re not looking behind us any more.
“It was never going to be a pretty game against Partick.
“When you’ve got a team trying to catch another team and one that’s not won for so many games, and add in the conditions, it was never going to be a classic Championship game of free-flowing football.
“But we’re 17 points ahead now [of Thistle in third] and if results go our way this weekend and we win then that’s the play-off position pretty much confirmed.
“That was our in-house goal. Nobody told us we had to be in the play-offs, but we wanted to be. So, to get that done with six, seven games to go would be fantastic.”
Raith have now won 17 matches in the Championship this season, the same number Dundee managed last season when they landed the title.
But they are going to need probably at least a handful more from the eight games remaining if they are to pip United to automatic promotion to the Premiership.
Every result from now on in has extra significance in the destination of the championship, but Murray believes it is going to be far from plain sailing for either Raith of the Tangerines.
He added: “We’ve won 17 games. Dundee won 17 games last season and won the league last season, and we’re sitting with eight games still to go.
Murray: ‘We’re pushing each other’
“It’s down to one point and it’s been like that all season. The gap’s not been huge either way.
“United deserve a lot of credit for the way they’ve kept putting pressure on us. We’re pushing each other.
“It reminds me of when I was at Airdrie and we were pushing with Cove Rangers.
“You were just hoping the other team would drop points. But that’s all you can do, it’s outwith your hands.
“We’ve both got tough away games and regardless of what happens over this weekend, I still see a lot of things to happen.
“There’s loads and loads of football to go. Every team in this division is playing for something, it’s remarkable how tight it’s getting.
“If you look from third place to ninth now, it’s so, so tight. That’s exciting, it’s good for the league.
“We’re not going to get too carried away, it’s important we just keep going.
“You never know, with three or four games to go it could still be in the balance.”
