St Johnstone will know by Saturday night whether they have a realistic shot at top six football, according to manager Tommy Wright.
A Premiership clash with St Mirren in Paisley tonight is followed up by the weekend visit of Livingston to McDiarmid Park.
And by the time those matches are played Wright is hoping that the gap to the top half has been significantly reduced from the five points it currently sits at.
“The aim is simple,” he pointed out. “It is still to get as many points as possible.
“We got 42 last year and missed out. And we have got into the top six with 42 before.
“You can never really tell how many will be needed.
“But I think the next two games will determine whether or not we can make the top six.
“They will probably decide whether we are safe in the league as well.
“We are 13 and 11 points off the bottom two places.
“That is a big number to turn around when everyone is playing each other.
“We know it will be tough at St Mirren because they have done extremely well.”
Meanwhile, the loan signing of Matt Butcher from Bournemouth in January is looking like an excellent piece of business. He was one of Saints’ star men against Celtic on Sunday.
Wright said: “Matt had only played 100-odd minutes in the last 18 months so I knew there was a slight risk bringing him in.
“But he has worked really hard and you can see him getting better and better with game time.
“He brings a lot of control to the midfield. He takes the ball in tight situations and he can get forward.
“I’m really pleased with the way he has settled in.”
