Paul Quinn is desperate to preserve Ross County’s place in the Scottish Premiership – even if it is at the expense of former club Motherwell.
The bottom-of-the-table Staggies host second bottom Motherwell this weekend and Jim McIntyre’s side can reduce the gap to three points with a victory.
Quinn spent seven years at Fir Park before joining Cardiff City in 2009 but the defender says there will not be any room for sentiment when he comes up against his old team.
The 29-year-old said: “I will be 110% going for the win. I am in a situation where it is me or them.
“I am out to progress my own career and keep myself in the top division.
“Do I want to see them go down? Obviously not. Would they want to see me go down? No. But I just need to block out my friends and the time I had there and try to do a professional job.”
County have been on a dismal run in the Scottish Premiership and are without a win in 11 matches after last weekend’s 4-0 defeat by Aberdeen.
However, Quinn believes a victory against Motherwell could give his side the confidence boost required to spark a change in fortunes.
He said: “This is going to be a massive game. It is very important that we roll up our sleeves and make an impact on the league from now on.
“The manager and the rest of the staff have already told us this is not a time to hide or feel sorry for ourselves. That will only get you heading one way and that is in the division below.
“I am looking forward to Saturday. A win could turn our season around and that is what we are going to focus on.”
The Staggies have the worst goal difference in the league, having conceded 49 times in 24 matches.
Quinn added: “We need to try to eradicate the mistakes.
“This is an old fashioned bottom of the table match. There is added pressure and there will be in the build-up. Whoever wins will be delighted and there will be a sense of relief.
“If we win it will give us a platform going into the next five or six weeks where we are playing teams around about us. They are the sides we need to take points off.
“I don’t think many had us down to get anything off Celtic or Aberdeen.
“We can’t accept defeat but when we did our points tally I don’t think either of these two games were put down as bankers.
“While it was not acceptable we know where our bread is buttered. That is in the matches against the teams around about us, starting from now.”