Lee Croft insists there’s no pressure on St Johnstone as they count down to the post-split fixtures.
The former Oldham midfielder admits the Perth players would love to buck the oddds and secure another Europa League spot via the William Hill Scottish Cup or by edging past Inverness Caley Thistle and Dundee United in the Premiership run-in.
Saints edged to within four points of fifth-placed Caley Jags with a 1-0 Tuesday win over struggling play-off contenders St Mirren.
Croft said: “We do have a bit of freedom now but there is no chance we will rest on our laurels. We want to give ourselves the best chance of catching the teams above us.
“Pegging back Inverness and Dundee United has to be our target now. We want to make sure we win our next two games against Partick and Kilmarnock before heading into the split.
“The pressure will be on United and Inverness. We are at the bottom of the pile in the top six and the pressure is on them to stay clear of us.
“It is a nice for us to be able to play with freedom to express ourselves and hopefully catch them. It is theirs to lose. We have maybe flown under the radar but we know on our day we can beat these teams.
“We have had a good season so far, securing a top six place, and reaching the semi-finals of both cups. But we want to take it one step further this time by getting to a cup final and finishing as high in the league as we can.”
Croft believes the Perth club’s strength in depth could yet prove a key asset in the closing stages, with top scorer Stevie May rested against the Buddies for the first time since September.
“The squad will come into play and it is good that we can rest key players and still get results. We have some good players who can come in and do just as good a job.”
Manager Tommy Wright is expected to return to work on Friday after his gall bladder surgery but assistant Callum Davidson has won both games in charge.
Croft said: “It’s been weird not having the gaffer around, although I think Callum could be a manager in the future. He has a lot of respect from the players and it has been an easy transition.
“It doesn’t make much difference on the pitch although Callum is a lot quieter on the touchline than the manager!”
The key date on the Perth club’s calendar remains the April 13 cup semi-final with Aberdeen.
But Croft insisted: “We are not really thinking about that at the moment. We will wait until nearer the time. We are just focusing on getting as high up the league as we possibly can.
“By the same token, we want to take some positive momentum and put together a run of wins. That’s what we will aim to do as winning breeds confidence.
“It would be amazing to win the Scottish Cup, but we will take just one step at a time.”