Craig Levein was prepared for a battle “to the wire” when he signed up for St Johnstone’s Premiership survival mission.
So the Perth boss isn’t fazed by the fact that with three – possibly five – games of football left of the season, their top-flight status remains in serious jeopardy.
Saints were in control of their own fate when Levein arrived at the start of November.
And despite the fact they have slipped into the play-off position for the first time in months, they’re still in control of their own fate at the start of May.
“There was always that possibility it would go down to the wire,” said Levein.
“I didn’t come in here thinking it was going to be plain sailing and there have been challenges, of course there have.
“But I’m still enjoying it.
“I just try to tell the truth all the time. I don’t see any reason to be over-exuberant about the situation.
“We have been in this position all season, really.
“Ross County have picked up some good results lately – they’ve got plenty of firepower and that has been part of their recovery.
“But we can’t control what they do so it’s not something for us to get preoccupied with.
“We lose 1-0 at Aberdeen then you see their result, but the message I’ve given everyone is: it’s still in our hands.
“We have three games to play, one of them against County, so it’s up to us to get the points we need to stay out of 11th place.
“We have to be positive.
“There are nine points still to play for and we have to believe we can get them all.”
Craig Levein’s message to Saints players
No fear is Levein’s dressing room mantra for the next couple of weeks.
“I don’t see any reason, going into these last three games, fearing anything,” he said. “That’s the message from me to the players.
“We have all been in this situation for a while.
“It should feel normal for us because we’ve been doing it for so long now.
“Last week, before the Aberdeen game, the training was good.
“First half, I felt we were better than Aberdeen. Second half, they were better than us.
“They got their reward with the penalty, we could have had an equaliser but we didn’t take the chance.
“Nobody could accuse this group of players of not rolling their sleeves up and trying.
“We have been unpredictable, yes.
“I’m watching the games back, looking at the videos for the things we can be doing better.
“But there are very rarely times I think they’re not working as hard as the opposition.
“As long as the effort and the attitude is in the team then I know we’ll give ourselves a chance in every game.”
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