Callum Davidson has warned St Johnstone’s players he won’t tolerate their Premiership season petering out.
The Perth boss insists three wins in a row is the immediate target to put them firmly in the frame for a late top six surge.
Saints host Barry Robson’s Aberdeen on Saturday then Ross County the following Saturday before a trip to Livingston.
Davidson wants to tee up a shot at the top half at home to Hibs in the final match before the split.
Any drop-off could see St Johnstone stuck in middle ground – adrift of the top six but at no major risk of relegation.
Davidson stressed that’s far from the case yet and cautioned his squad there’s plenty to compete for right now.
Davidson said: “We need to work hard and do the right things. Don’t take our foot off the gas and try and coast our way until the end of the season.
“We want to go in fighting and scrapping and make sure we get everything we can out of this season. This is a tough league and we want the highest finish we can get.
“The target right now is to win three games. If we do it quickly, we’ve a chance of making the top six. If we do it later, we will be safe.
“We don’t want to be dragged into a relegation fight. Can we press the ‘reset’ button, start now and go against Aberdeen to get that first victory?
“If you start thinking we’ll win a game at some point, that’s not the right attitude.”
Davidson believes he hammered home that message during and since the draw at Kilmarnock that preceded the international break.
A half-time rollicking went some way to sparking the second half rally and Drey Wright strike that secured a point.
That eased Saints eight points clear of the relegation play-off berth.
‘Lesson for us all’
Davidson explained: “I don’t do it often but I was just so disappointed with what we set out to do and what we didn’t do.
“It’s a lesson for us all and, for myself, looking at different ways to make sure I get the message across.
“There was second half improvement but it shouldn’t take me having a go at them at half-time to do it.
“Big things for us between now and the end of the season are starting games well and home form.
“If we get that right, we’ll finish higher up. If we don’t, it will be a tough end to the season.
“In every game you need to work extremely hard and, at Kilmarnock, we didn’t do it enough in the first half. Hopefully that’s a reality check for the players.”
Davidson welcomes Dan Phillips back from a ban to face Dons. With Nicky Clark out for the season following ankle surgery, Davison has multiple options for a Stevie May support act.
He said: “Jamie Murphy was outstanding in a bounce game, as was David Wotherspoon.
“These guys are telling me they want to play. Zak Rudden, Theo Bair, Connor McLennan and the two I’ve mentioned all have opportunities.
“Hopefully they step up to the mark and produce the bit of magic I know they can.”
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